Skeletons In The Closet
by ataralasse
Summary: Booth's and Brennan's pasts come back to haunt them. CH 13: Angst and comfort ensue.
1. Chapter 1

**Rating: PG-13 If you can watch the show, you can read it. : )**

**Pairing: B Squared, Baby! (Booth/Brennan)**

**Spoilers: Assume everything? lol**

**Summary: Booth's and Brennan's pasts come back to haunt them.**

**Disclaimer: Bones and characters belong to Kathy Reichs, Hart Hanson, FOX, etc. I'm just playing with them for awhile. ; )**

**Distribution: Just tell me where its going!**

**Feedback: Pretty please? With Haagen Dazs ice cream on top? **

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FBI Headquarters

9 pm

Seeley Booth sat at his desk, case file in hand, apparently staring across the office at an extremely interesting stain on the wall. Of course, anyone who knew him at all would recognize that as his patented 'brooding' face. He'd been sitting there in very much the same manner ever since Deputy Director Cullen had stopped in and threw the manila file folder on his desk.

"New case. Definitely gonna need the squints on this one," he had said. He began to turn to leave, and then stopped. "Oh, and try to keep your anthropologist from beating up all the suspects - I've got enough to deal with as it is without having to worry about harassment suits." Without giving Booth a chance to reply, Cullen turned on his heel and walked briskly back the way he had come.

Now, Booth wondered whether Brennan beating up the suspects was the least of his worries. He set the case file back on the desk and began flipping through it again, trying to see if there was some bit of information he had missed the last three times he had read it. Cullen was right, it was exactly the kind of case he'd need the squints for.

Two weeks ago, a 16-year-old girl had reported her parents missing after they had gone out one night to a party and never returned home. The local police had searched the home and the outlying area, as well as the the residence where the party had taken place. So far, they had not been able to locate the parents' bodies or the car they had been driving in, nor had a ransom note been left behind. In fact, the only clue seemed to be the utter lack of clues. Unless the parents had disappeared of their own accord, whoever had done this had done it clean. They weren't dealing with an every day kidnapping or murder; this

case would be much harder to solve.

What worried Booth most however, was how Brennan would react to the case, considering the similarities it had to her own parents' disappearance. The courts were already pushing to put the girl in foster care if they didn't wrap the case soon. Worse, she didn't have an older brother, or a grandfather to get her back out of the system again like Brennan had. So far, they hadn't been able to locate any of her relatives.

Booth didn't want to force Brennan to relive any difficult memories, but he really did need her on this case. He debated whether he should tell her all the facts of the case, or just tell her what she needed to know when he needed her to know it. Figuring that wouldn't go over well at all, he decided he'd just hand her the file and let her read it for herself, then judge her reaction.

Booth glanced at the clock - 9:20. Having made his decision, he got up, threw on his long navy-blue jacket, and headed out to the parking lot. Normally, he wouldn't have bothered going to the Jeffersonian this late, as most of the squints would have already gone home. Of course, he knew Brennan would be there, working late, as usual- which tonight worked quite nicely. He thought it would be better to have fewer people around until he knew better how Brennan would handle the case.

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Medico-Legal Lab

Jeffersonian Institute

9:30 pm

Temperance Brennan sat her desk, finishing up the paperwork for the remains of a Civil War soldier she had just finished identifying. Despite how often her co-workers suggested that she go home and get some rest, she really did enjoy working alone after everyone had left. Working with the bones, looking meticulously at the details and piecing everything together gave her a calm, peaceful feeling. Everything else she might have been feeling just drifted away. She always felt extremely satisfied after finishing an identification.

Suddenly, there was a knock on the side of her office door, causing her to jump. She looked up to see Booth standing there, a small half smile on his lips. "Hey, Bones," he said, not moving from his place in the doorway.

"Booth! What are you doing here?" She asked, only slightly recovering from the adrenaline rush moments before.

Booth's face became more serious as he stepped into the office. "New case," he said, holding up the file, "figured I'd catch you on your own." He handed her the folder and sat down in a chair near the desk.

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Booth watched as Brennan read the file, her face shifting from a somewhat pained expression to a darker one, which only grew darker by the second. She finished reading and slowly closed the folder, setting it down on the desk. She looked up with resolve etched on her features. "Where do we start?" she asked.

Booth didn't know what he had expected - Sadness? A refusal to be involved in the case? However, he figured this was a good sign and went from there. "I figured we'd check out the house and question the girl, Serena. Maybe have Zack and Hodgins come along to find anything the local police missed in their investigation."

"Good," Brennan replied, glancing at the clock on the wall, "I'll get everyone on it first thing tomorrow." She smiled hesitantly and then looked down at her desk.

Taking that as his cue to go, Booth stood up to leave and gave her another half smile. "Thanks, Bones. You sure you're okay with taking this case?"

Brennan looked up, a hint of indignation in her eyes. "Yeah, why wouldn't I be?"

Booth studied her closely for a few seconds and then shrugged. "I'll see you tomorrow. Good night, Bones." He walked out and stopped to look in the window next to the door. Brennan had crossed the room and was apparently retrieving another box of bones to identify. Booth lingered for few moments, watching as she lifted out a few of the bones and examined them carefully. Smiling slightly, Booth walked out to his car and headed home.


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: In light of the impending angst, this chapter's a bit more fluffy. It was a lot of fun to write. : )**

**Thanks to everyone who reviewed!** **It definitely encouraged me to post this faster. **

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Chapter Two 

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Brennan finished laying out the bones of the next Civil War soldier and found that the usual calm hadn't set in. She couldn't focus. The truth was, she _wasn't_ okay with this new case. She remembered Booth's penetrating gaze before, and knew that he knew it too. She also knew that she needed to do this case, and she couldn't let her personal feelings get in the way. She knew that if she could solve this case, she could give this girl something she never got; closure.

She tried to focus on the bones again, measuring, categorizing, and finally identifying the owner of the remains. By the time she had finished it was after 1:00 in the morning. She told herself she'd just fill out the documentation before going home, and set to work.

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Booth's Apartment

2 am

Booth was awakened by the sound of knocking. He looked at the clock and groaned. _Who could possibly be here at this hour_? He got up and grabbed a t-shirt, putting it on as he walked to the door. He turned the doorknob, opened the door, and stood staring in shock for a few moments at the person on his doorstep.

"Hey, Booth." A man in his early 40's with a buzz-cut and a large grin punched Booth on the arm as he pushed past him and glanced around the darkened room. To say that Booth was surprised and somewhat angered by this man's appearance was an understatement.

"What are you doing here Sidney?" Booth asked, no small amount of annoyance present in his voice. Sidney Finch was an unwelcome reminder of his past; one he had hoped he would never encounter again. Up until that moment, Booth had thought Sidney was still with the army; a sniper like himself. Apparently, that had changed.

"Aw, come on, Booth. Aren't you happy to see an old friend?"

"Why are you here?" he asked again. It was true, they had been friends, but when Booth decided he had had enough, and wanted to leave the army, they had argued. Booth had left, and they hadn't spoken again - until now.

Sidney's face grew serious. "I left the army. Needed a place to stay, figured I'd come here."

"Why should I let you stay here?"

Sidney frowned. "Look Booth, as far as I'm concerned, all that stuff - before, that's behind us. Plus, I kinda have nowhere else to go."

Booth sighed, feeling somewhat guilty, seeing the pleading look on Sidney's face. "Fine, you can have the couch, but don't expect anything else."

Sidney's smile was back as quickly as it had gone. "Thanks Booth, I owe you one." He promptly sat down on the couch and got comfortable.

"Yeah," Booth replied unenthusiastically, "I'm going back to sleep." He walked back to his room and flopped down on the bed. He didn't know how long he lay there, staring at the ceiling before he finally fell asleep.

After that he slept restlessly, waking up at least once an hour. At 5 am he decided he might as well stay awake, and got dressed.

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Medico-Legal Lab

Jeffersonian

6 am

Technically, the Jeffersonian wouldn't be open for another two hours, but Booth knew Brennan would be there. She always got there before everyone else. He figured they could get an early start on the case; look at their options.

As he walked through the sliding doors of the lab, he looked around. Not seeing Brennan anywhere, he headed toward her office, stopped outside the window, and smiled. Brennan was asleep on top of an open file folder, a pen held loosely in her hand.

He opened the office door, walked in, and sat down in the chair in front of the desk. He nudged her gently and whispered, "Bones!" She moaned and grumbled incoherently before turning her head the other way and going back to sleep. After a couple more unsuccessful attempts, Booth figured he'd let her sleep. He grinned mischievously and picked up the folder on her desk where he knew she kept the manuscript for her newest book.

He leaned forward, elbows on the desk, and began reading, reaffirming for himself once again that the witty, handsome FBI agent Andrew Ryan, was, indeed based on him.

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Medico-Legal Lab

Jeffersonian

8:15 am

"Psst! Zack, Hodgins, come here!" Angela whispered to her two co-workers, who had just walked through the sliding doors.

Zack and Hodgins saw Angela standing outside Brennan's office, gesturing emphatically, and walked over to her. "What's going on?" Hodgins asked, noting the wide grin on her face.

"Look!" she said, giggling and pointing through the window of the office. Brennan was asleep on one side of the desk, head resting on a small stack of papers. Booth had fallen asleep on the other side of the desk in much the same position, snoring softly.

"Shouldn't we maybe wake them up?" Zack asked, looking uncertainly at the sleeping pair.

"Aww, but they're so cute," Angela cooed, causing Hodgins to wrinkle his nose in distaste.

"Yeah, I'm more of an icky, slimy, bug person," Hodgins said, "I'm not a big fan of 'cute'." Hodgins went for the handle and started opening the door.

"No!" Angela grabbed the handle too, and they both started shoving the other out of the way.

"Guys," Zack said, trying to intervene.

"Move Zack," Hodgins said impatiently, pushing him back towards Angela. Zack tripped over her foot and fell into the door, causing it to open, and all three of them fell into the room in a heap.

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Startled into wakefulness, Brennan bolted up, seeing a pile of guilty looking squints on the floor, and a yawning Booth, rubbing his eyes and looking groggy. "What's going on?" Brennan asked, genuinely confused and still feeling disoriented.

The three squints stood up, brushing themselves off. Angela sighed, "I saw you two asleep in here, I called those two geniuses over, and its their fault we kinda...fell in."

At this point, Brennan looked over at Booth, who still looked half-asleep, and noticed what he was holding. "Hey! Is that my manuscript?" She grabbed the papers out of his hands and smacked him on the back of the head with them.

"Ow!" Booth shot her a look and fixed his hair where she had dislodged it.

The squints watched the exchange and took it as a good opportunity to escape. Without any hesitation, they ran out the door.

Back in the office, Booth was attempting to use his charm smile against Brennan's scowl. "How many times have I told you I don't like people reading my work before I'm done with it?" she looked at Booth again, who was now using puppy-dog eyes on her, trying to look sorrowful. "It's not going to work, Booth!" she said, but smiled in spite of herself. She rolled her eyes as Booth smirked.

"What were you doing here anyway?" she asked, sitting down again at the desk and reorganizing the papers.

Booth shrugged, "Couldn't sleep this morning. I figured we could get an early start on the case. But then I saw you were asleep, and I figured it was as good a time as any to see what you were writing about me."

Brennan rolled her eyes again. "I told you before, Andrew Ryan is _not_ based on you. I don't base any of my characters off of real people."

Booth just smiled irritatingly back at her.

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Booth's Apartment

Sidney sat on the couch, beer in one hand, remote in the other, with his feet up on the coffee table. The news was on, but he hadn't really been paying attention until that moment. He turned the sound up.

"...we're told his name is Sidney Finch. If you've seen him, or have any information on his whereabouts, please call..."

At this point, he had stopped listening, as they flashed his picture on the screen, the words 'soldier gone AWOL' pasted at the bottom in bold letters. He abruptly turned the TV off. _Who watches the news anyway?_

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**Questions? Comments? Ideas? The next chapter should be up in few days; its more than halfway done. : )**  



	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: Once again, thanks for all the great reviews: ) I'm not sure if I'll be able to update again before Monday, as I have a research paper to write, so this chapter's extra long. Enjoy! **

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Chapter Three 

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16 Lakeview Drive

Pearson's Residence

11 am

"Serena, if you could just tell us everything you remember about that night..." Booth sat on a couch across from Serena, Brennan beside him, listening intently.

"Okay." Serena took a deep breath and swallowed before continuing. "They got home from work between 5 and 6, and started getting ready for that party. The party was supposed to start at 7, and they were rushing so they wouldn't be late. They'd been talking about it for weeks. See, we moved here not that long ago; we didn't know anybody. And then, these people, they're supposed to be really rich, and - " she stopped, looking like she had said too much, and then continued. "Anyway, they were getting ready and I was planning on just hanging out at home, you know - watch tv, order pizza. They left at like 6:50. They said they'd be back late, so I didn't worry. I went to bed, and then the next morning they still weren't back. I tried calling them, but they never picked up. I left messages, but when they weren't back by noon, that's when I called the police." Having finished her account, she looked up at Booth and Brennan, sadness clear in her eyes.

Booth leaned forward a bit. "Did you hear anything unusual after your parents left?"

"No, I don't even remember hearing their car. I guess I wasn't really paying attention. Right before I went to bed I thought I heard something, but I was pretty jumpy...I had just finished watching Valentine." She looked away, feeling slightly embarrassed.

Brennan spoke then for the first time since sitting down on the couch, "I don't- What is that?"

Serena looked up, surprised. "Oh, its a horror movie," she said, smiling softly at the anthropologist.

"Oh," Brennan said sheepishly, and looked at Booth, who was smiling slightly, despite trying to keep a straight face.

Booth cleared his throat. "Is it alright if we look around a bit?"

Serena nodded, "Yeah, sure."

Booth turned to Brennan. "I think we should start outside, around front."

Brennan nodded. "I'll go get Zack and Hodgins."

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Booth wandered around the front yard as the squints looked for clues. He stopped behind Brennan, who was on the driveway near the garage (where the Pearsons' car had been parked), picking up anything that could be analyzed later.

"Could you stop that?" she said without turning around.

"Stop what?" Booth asked, watching as she picked up something that glinted in the sunlight.

"Watching me. It makes me nervous." She took out another evidence bag and shifted to a new spot.

"Oh, sorry." Booth walked over to Hodgins, who was combing the front lawn near the house. "Find anything?"

Clearly excited, Hodgins stood and turned around, holding out a small beetle. "Yeah - did you know, these people have twelve different species of arthropod living in their yard? I mean, nothing cool, like coleoptera meloidae, but - man, have they got some well-fertilized soil."

Annoyed, Booth pushed Hodgins' hand and the wriggling beetle out of his face. "Anything that might be relevant to the case?"

"No," Hodgins replied, dropping the beetle back into the grass.

Booth stalked off and came to Zack, who was searching the front bushes and walkway. "Please tell me you found something," he said, giving Zack a hopeful smile.

"Actually - I did." Zack handed Booth a piece of a gold-chained necklace. "It was tread into the soil near the bushes."

At that point, Brennan came over, having overheard the find. "Good job Zack." She turned to Booth, looking disdainful. "How did the FBI forensics team miss _that_?" she asked, taking the necklace and putting it in an evidence bag.

Booth shrugged. "Can I have that?" he asked, gesturing to the bag Brennan was putting with the other evidence. Booth took the necklace and jogged up the front steps into the house. He found Serena sitting at the kitchen table, staring into space. She looked up as he approached.

Booth put the bag in front of her. "Do you recognize this?"

Serena stared at it, wide-eyed. "Yeah, its my mom's. She was wearing it when they left."

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Medico-Legal Lab

Jeffersonian

7pm

Brennan, Zack, and Hodgins worked to gather whatever data they could from the currently limited existing evidence. Angela, who didn't have much she could help with at the lab, had left for a date. Booth had left some time after that, though he didn't mention where he was going.

So far, the squints were having better luck than the FBI forensics team, but not much. The forensics team had found no suspicious fingerprints at the scene, and the squints couldn't get much of anything from the necklace.

In addition the front of the house, they had also looked inside the garage and the back yard, but had found nothing. They had taken an impression of the footprint where the necklace was found, but so far they were unable to get anything useful from it; it hadn't exactly been a very good specimen by the time they had found it.

It seemed increasingly evident that the Pearsons had been kidnapped, apparently before even reaching their car, yet, the car was missing as well. If more leads didn't come to light soon, they would officially be at a dead end.

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Wong Foo's

7:30 pm

Booth sat at the bar, eating the food Sid had assured him would make him feel better. Booth had insisted that he felt fine, but Sid always knew.

It was true, Booth would normally have gone home to eat on a day like this, and he was definitely trying to avoid Sidney. He just didn't want to have to deal with him right now - him, or the feelings and memories he brought back to the surface.

Booth finished the last of his Lo Mein and paid for the meal. He said goodbye to Sid on his way out and headed for his car. He figured he'd just go home, make sure Sidney hadn't burned down the apartment or anything, and get a few things. Then he'd head back to the lab and see how things were coming along with the squints.

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Booth unlocked the front door, glad at least to see that Sidney hadn't gotten into any obvious trouble. Even in the army he had always been a troublemaker, no matter how many times he was reprimanded for it. So far, there was no reason for Booth to assume that that had changed.

Most of the apartment was darkened, and Booth wondered if Sydney had gone out. Then he remembered that the front door had been locked, and Sidney didn't have a key. Booth walked deeper into the apartment and stopped when he heard Sidney's voice drifting out of the kitchen.

"...so I'll meet you there? Say, 8:30?"

Booth moved to the doorway and listened in.

"...okay, yeah. I'll see you there. Bye."

Sidney hung up the phone and looked up, seeing Booth for the first time. "Oh, hey Booth."

Booth looked at Sidney questioningly. "Who was that?"

"Just an old friend. I'm meeting him later." Sidney stood up and grabbed his jacket off the back of the chair. "Oh, hey - can you give me a ride?"

Booth sighed, wishing he had left before Sidney had finished the phone call. "Yeah. I have to stop at the lab first though."

"Sure. Thanks Booth." Sidney slapped him on the back and walked past him out to the car.

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Booth reached the open office door and knocked.

Brennan looked up. "Booth, hi."

He stepped into the office. "Hey. Got anything?"

Brennan stood up and came around to the front of the desk, leaning on the edge. "Not much. We found a small piece of metal with some sort of decorative design engraved on it. We don't know what it might be from. The necklace we can tell was pulled off in some way since it was broken, but we already knew that. There was a small amount of blood on it, but it definitely belonged to the mother. We also found what appears to be a paint-chip at the bottom of the driveway, which I assume is from their car. We're still waiting on the analysis to come back on some other items." Booth nodded, absorbing the information.

At that moment, Hodgins stuck his head in the doorway. "Hey guys, Sidney just invited us to his poker game. You up for it?"

"Who's Sidney?" Brennan asked, confused.

Hodgins nodded at Booth. "Booth's friend."

Brennan turned to Booth, noticing a dark look in his eyes. "He needed a ride...he followed me in..." he said by way of explanation. Whoever this Sidney was, he couldn't be a _good_ friend, the way Booth was acting.

At this point, Hodgins turned to Brennan. "So, do you wanna go or not?" he asked, trying to sound hopeful, though he highly doubted that she would even consider it.

"I don't know..." Brennan looked at Booth; it was _his_ friend inviting them.

"Well, apparently I'm his 'chauffeur' now, so - yeah...I'm going," Booth said, hoping that Brennan might go. It wouldn't be quite so unbearable if she were there.

Brennan nodded. "Yeah, I'll go." She figured that since Booth didn't really want to go anyway, and the rest of them wouldn't be able to do anything more at the lab until the analysis came back, she and Booth could at least discuss the case while they were there.

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The squints and Booth followed Sidney into the seedy-looking establishment, expressing various degrees of distaste. However, once Sidney had spotted his friend and called them to the table, they all went over; some more willingly than others. Zack looked extremely uncomfortable, but Hodgins pulled him into a chair, while Brennan was literally being dragged by Angela over to the table. Booth stayed where he was, by the bar.

Sidney looked back at him. "Booth, aren't you coming?"

Booth simply shook his head.

Sidney laughed. "Yeah, right. Just come sit down."

"_No_." Booth had said it more harshly than he had intended, receiving surprised looks from everyone there.

Sidney shrugged and sat down.

Booth sat at the bar, his back to them, ignoring Brennan's concerned gaze, and ordered a drink.

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After a couple of hands, Brennan was sure she had thoroughly proved to herself and everyone else that she just wasn't good at poker.

She got up and walked over to Booth. He had turned around and now sat watching the others as they played. He was fidgeting nervously with something in his hands, and hadn't even noticed Brennan approach. She sat down next to him and looked more closely at the object in his hands. She realized that it was a poker chip; one she remembered seeing him with before. He'd often toss it around while he was 'positing a scenario'.

"Booth," she said, trying to get his attention.

"What? Oh, hi," he said, managing a smile. "What's up?" Booth asked, when Brennan hadn't said anything; just sat there staring at him. He felt somewhat like something under one of her microscopes.

"I get the impression that you don't like Sidney very much, yet you called him your friend."

"Yeah. Well, we used to be friends. We were in the army together. When I decided to leave, well - he didn't want me to. Then the other day, he shows up, acting like its just like old times..." at this point he trailed off, shrugging.

"Is that why you didn't come over with rest of us?" She doubted it. It seemed like there was more to it than that.

Booth shifted in his seat, looking away from her. "No."

"What then?" Brennan asked, concern coloring her voice.

Booth sighed, meeting her eyes again; considering her. He swallowed a couple of times and then spoke. "I - have a gambling problem."

"Oh," Brennan didn't really know what to say. She felt bad. No wonder he had been sitting here looking so anxious. He had been here, forced to watch while they played - it must have been torture. "I'm...sorry?" she said lamely, wishing for once that she had Angela's skill for knowing what to say.

Booth chuckled at Brennan's attempt. "Thanks Bones. It's okay though; really. I haven't gambled in four years. I can handle it." He smiled reassuringly.

The other squints and Sidney walked up then, having finished their last hand.

"Booth - ready to go?" Sidney asked, putting on his jacket.

"Definitely," Booth said, relieved. He grabbed his coat and headed out the door. "See you tomorrow Bones."

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**Questions? Comments? Ideas? Sorry if this chapter was a bit slow. In the next chapter it starts to really get into the case and the issue with Sidney. **  



	4. Chapter 4

**A/N:  
Thank you for the reviews! Despite how busy I was this weekend, I just couldn't stop writing this chapter. Enjoy. : )**

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Chapter Four 

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Medico-Legal Lab

Jeffersonian

8 am

Brennan was in the lab looking over the new evidence analysis. It had come in just that morning, and she had already called Booth to tell him, but she had had to leave a message.

Angela had just arrived, and was currently standing next to her, nagging her about her favorite Brennan-related subject - Booth.

"So, what did you two talk about last night?" she asked, smiling conspiratorially.

"Angela, I'm really not comfortable telling you. I don't think its something Booth wants everyone to know."

"But best friends are _supposed_ to gossip. Anyway, I bet I can guess. Will you tell me if I guess it?"

Brennan gave her a look, one which Angela pointedly ignored.

"Did it have something to do with Sidney?"

Brennan just shrugged, not looking up from the piece of evidence.

"Was it the poker?"

Brennan looked up.

"Aha! I got it didn't I?"

Brennan sighed; lying had never been her strong suit. "He said he has a gambling problem, he hasn't gambled in four years, and that he could handle it."

Angela's triumphant smile had gone. "Poor Booth; and we were just sitting there rubbing it in his face..."

Brennan nodded. "I know, that's what I -"

"Wait, isn't Parker four?" Angela asked suddenly.

"Yes, but what does that - "

"Sweetie, he said he hasn't gambled in four years, right? That must be why Rebeca wouldn't marry him. They must have broken up because of his gambling, and then she finds out she's pregnant. She tells Booth, who of course asks her to marry him - and she says no. That must be why he stopped..."

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Booth's Apartment

Earlier that morning

Booth woke to find that his alarm clock had not gone off, he had missed a call from Brennan, and Sidney was using his bathroom. He got up and knocked loudly on the door, yelling to be heard over the shower. "Hey! Could you hurry up? I've gotta get to the lab!" There was a muffled response, which Booth couldn't understand. He waited for ten minutes, in which time Sidney had still not emerged. He decided to give up and just get dressed.

Just as Booth was about to go out the door, Sidney came running - fully dressed, hair perfect, jacket in hand. "Wait up! I need a ride down town."

"Fine. Whatever." At least it would get Sidney out of his apartment for awhile.

On the ride over Booth glared at the cars in front of him and tried not to think about the fact that he hadn't shaved, his hair was unkempt, and to top it all off, he was over an hour late in answering Brennan's call.

As Booth honked at the car in front of him again, Sidney cleared his throat, glancing in his direction. "Get up on the wrong side of the bed?"

Booth turned his glare on Sidney. "You might say that. Of course it would have been so much better if you hadn't hogged the bathroom all morning. Then there's this case, which is pretty much turning into a big blank..." Booth continued to tell Sidney about the case, wanting to rant, and not caring to whom.

When Booth had finished, Sidney looked somewhat troubled. "That reminds me of a job I was assigned when I was in the army."

"What?"

"It was a few years before you joined. It was about 15 years ago, I think... I was supposed to be back in the US on leave, but I was actually on a classified assignment. The two targets - I was supposed to make it look like they had just up and left. No car, no clues, no reason for anyone to ever suspect the truth. Ended up looking a lot like this case you're working on now."

Booth stopped the car where Sidney had indicated. "So you're saying, this case - it might be an inside job."

Sidney nodded. "I don't think you'll get very far. This is the kinda thing none of the higher-ups want anyone to know about. Now, I'd love to stay and chat but..." Sidney opened the door and got out of the car.

Booth rolled down the window. "What were the names of the targets?"

"I only ever got a last name," Sidney said, thinking for a moment. "Brentley? Brendman, maybe? I don't remember."

Booth felt a twinge of dread in the pit of his stomach. "Was it Brennan?"

"Yeah, that's it. Look, I gotta go..." Sidney slammed the door then, leaving Booth to speed off toward the lab, mind reeling, wondering how he was going to tell Brennan.

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Medico-Legal Lab

Jeffersonian

Brennan and Angela looked up as Booth walked in, and pretended they hadn't just been talking about him. Brennan crossed to the other side of the table and examined the next piece of evidence again. Angela excused herself, smiling at Booth on the way out the door.

"I got your message. Sorry I'm late."

Brennan thought he looked distracted; his mind was definitely on something else.

Booth walked over to stand across from Brennan at the examination table. "What's that?" he asked, indicating the slide she held in her hand. Now he was just stalling for time; avoiding the inevitable. He knew he needed to tell her. It would just be worse for everyone if he didn't.

"I don't know, that's the problem," she said, placing the object under the microscope again. "Here, why don't you have a look. Maybe you'll see something different."

Booth leaned over the microscope. He honestly couldn't comprehend what he was looking at. "I'm not very good at 'squinting'," he said, standing up straight again. "I don't know what it could be."

"Chemical analysis indicates that its made up of poly-paraphenylene terapthalamide - "

"Kevlar." Booth said, surprised that he had actually remembered that.

"Like in bullet proof vests?" Brennan asked, slightly taken aback that Booth had known that and she hadn't.

"Yes." Booth's heart sank; Sidney's theory was looking more and more likely.

"Wasn't it raining heavily that night?" Brennan asked suddenly.

"Why?"

"Well, how do you explain a _piece_ of Kevlar being found? Its five times stronger than steel, and there was no evidence of gunfire. If it was raining, there could be another explanation. The Kevlar in bulletproof vests isn't usually waterproofed as it would be when used in mooring lines and other underwater products. Poly-paraphenylene is formed through hydrogen bonding. When the material is saturated with water it loosens those bonds. In the vests, rainwater would weaken the structure significantly, making it far more easily damaged."

Booth nodded slowly. "So, you're saying it could have been ripped or torn?"

"Yes. It would have taken some force, buts its possible. Although, it still doesn't explain why it was found there. None of the police or FBI who were present on the scene were wearing bulletproof vests; there was no reason for them to."

Booth sighed. If what Sidney said was correct, it was perfectly reasonable to assume that the kidnappers would be wearing Kevlar. "There's something I should tell you."

"What?" Brennan asked, growing anxious. Booth had been acting strangely, and it seemed that this is what it was about.

As Booth prepared himself to tell her, a low ringing echoed throughout the room. _Perfect timing_. Booth rolled his eyes and answered the phone.

"Hello?" Booth said it bruskly, making it clear that it was a bad time. "Oh- hi Rebeca." He looked at Brennan awkwardly and then walked slowly to the other side of the room as he talked.

"What? Why?" he sounded shocked and angry. Brennan wondered what had happened.

"That's not fair and you know it. You can't do this!" After a moment the anger faded and was replaced with a look of defeat.

"Rebeca...please." Booth listened for a moment longer and then hung up. He slipped the phone back in his pocket, sat down on the couch in the corner, and put his head in his hands.

Brennan went over and sat down next to him, touching his arm lightly. "What happened?"

Booth sat up straight, trying to pull himself together. "Rebeca decided to move to New York with Parker and her 'fiance'." He snorted derisively. "That was her giving me 'two-weeks notice'."

"She can do that? Just leave?" Brennan asked, sounding nearly as angry as Booth had before.

"Pretty much," Booth sighed.

"That's not right!" Brennan exclaimed indignantly. "She has no right to take Parker away from you. I've seen you with him; you're a great dad."

Booth smiled sadly. "Thanks."

They sat in silence for a few seconds before Brennan remembered that the phone call had interrupted them before. "You said you had to tell me something?"

"Yeah." If it was possible, Booth looked even more unhappy. Although, he noted, at least this time she was sitting down. "I may know what happened to the Pearsons, but - more importantly, I know what happened to your parents."

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** Questions? Comments? Ideas?**  



	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: I know this one's pretty short, but I really wanted to get it up tonight. I was suffering from Bones withdrawal, and I figured everyone else could use a fix. Luckily there's a new eppy on next week. : )**

**Caution: Angsty chapter ahead. ; )  
**

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Chapter Five 

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_"...I know what happened to your parents..."_

"What?" she said, her eyes wide, not believing what she had heard.

"I was talking to someone about the case, and they said it reminded them of an assignment they'd been given in the army. The assignment was to take the targets and make sure it would look like they had just left - not to leave behind any clues." Booth paused, seeing that Brennan's eyes had grown glassy; distant - recalling what it had been like when her parents went missing. Booth pressed on, "I asked him who they were sent after. He told me they only got a last name - Brennan." He looked down, afraid of her reaction.

"Who told you?" Brennan asked, her voice hard.

Booth looked up, and saw that her face was set; angry.

"Booth, who told you?"

"Sidney," Booth said quietly.

Brennan stood up abruptly, walking briskly out the door.

Booth followed her, trying to get her to stop. "Bones! Slow down!" She ignored him and started walking faster. Booth ran after her. "Temperance!" he said, grabbing her arm.

"What?" she said, whirling around.

"What are you doing?"

"What do you think?" she said angrily.

"I think you're going to do something extremely stupid that's going to get you killed," he responded, sounding just as angry now.

"I'll be fine," she said, turning to leave again, but stopped as Booth spoke.

"You don't get it, the order came from someone in the government. Sidney was just following orders, you can't hold him responsible; and if you go off right now and do something - there's nothing to say that whoever ordered this on your parents wouldn't do it again to you."

At this point, Brennan lost whatever measure of control she had had, and began yelling at Booth. "In the government? How do I know I can trust what _you_ tell me then?"

"That's not -"

"Maybe you're just protecting Sidney! After all, you have more in common with him than me - _you've_ both _murdered_ people!" Booth flinched and Brennan began stalking off down the hallway, throwing over her shoulder: "And don't try to talk to me!" Booth looked like he had had the wind knocked out of him. He swallowed and looked down at the floor.

Angela walked by then, and seeing Booth, stopped. "Hey Booth," she said, wondering what was wrong.

Booth looked up. "Angela," he said looking down the hall at Brennan's retreating form, "make sure she goes home?"

"Yeah, sure..." she said, trying to work out what had just happened.

Booth slowly turned and walked out of the lab in the opposite direction.

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Brennan didn't know where she was going. She hadn't left, but had doubled back down another hallway.

She knew she shouldn't have said those things to Booth. She felt horrible; she kept seeing his face - how shocked and hurt he had looked. She knew she had been irrational, and she hated it. She wanted to apologize to Booth, but that irrational part of her was still angry at him for not letting her go after Sidney - not that she knew what she'd do once she found him.

She realized she'd gone in a full circle, stopping in front of her office door. She sighed and pushed it open, walking to her desk and sitting down heavily. Just as she put her head down on the desk, Angela walked in. She didn't say anything until after she sat down in one of the chairs in front of Brennan's desk.

"Sweetie, what happened?" she asked concerned for her friend.

Brennan lifted her head up to look at Angela. She told her everything that had happened up until she had stormed off.

"Oh my god," Angela said, looking at her friend sadly. "That must have been hard, hearing those things about your parents like that after all this time. I understand why you reacted that way- who wouldn't? - but, you have to apologize to him, Bren."

"I know," she groaned, and plopped her head into her hands. "He probably hates me now..." she said, sounding hopeless.

"No - sweetie - he definitely doesn't hate you. In fact, he asked me to make sure you get home later," she said, standing up. "How about it - I'll give you a ride," she said, hopefully. "I'll even stay over with you if you want - we can do all kinds of girly stuff."

"I'm really not in the mood Ange," she said, "I think I'd rather just get some sleep tonight."

Angela nodded. "Okay." She left, leaving Brennan to finish the identification of another soldier.

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Booth walked into his apartment. Sidney was sitting on the couch, his feet up on the coffee table again. He turned off the TV when he saw Booth come in.

"How did you get in here?" Booth asked suspiciously.

"You left the door unlocked this morning when we left."

"Oh." Booth sat down in the chair next to the couch.

"Hey, I was about to go out with some friends," Sidney said, "you wanna come?"

Booth shook his head. "I don't think so." They sat in silence for a few moments, until Sidney stood up, getting ready to leave.

"Oh, yeah," he said, turning back to Booth, "someone came by earlier - I'm assuming she's an ex - said her name was Tessa? She wanted to pick up some of her stuff...and uh, she seemed kinda mad when she asked where you were, and I told her you were at the lab."

Booth's eyes darkened and he glared at the carpet in front of him. _Rebeca, Brennan, and now Tessa. This day just keeps getting better and better..._

Sidney shrugged and opened the front door.

Booth stood a few seconds later, grabbing his coat again. "You know what, I will go," he said, and followed Sidney out the door.

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Sidney led the way into the same seedy establishment he had brought Booth and the squints to last time. Sidney waved to his friends and headed over to the table and the card game.

Booth stood hesitantly by the bar, fidgeting with the poker chip in his pocket. He looked uncertainly between the table and the door.

"Booth, you coming?" Sidney asked from his seat at the table. Booth hesitated a moment longer -

"Yeah." He walked to the table and sat down, as Sidney began introducing him to all of his gambling buddies.

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**Questions? Comments? Ideas? **


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N: Sorry I haven't updated in awhile, I had a really hard time getting this chapter to work. Then we had HSPAs all last week (aka: a really annoying standardized test in NJ that takes up valuable hours of fanfic writing time :P ). **

**Anyway, here it is - the much revised, rewritten, rearranged and hopefully much _better_ chapter.**

_PS - If anyone catches the Buffy reference, I'll give you a cookie - and a huggable lifesize DB doll. _**  
**

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Chapter 6 

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Booth's apartment

10 am

Booth woke with a start, sitting up too quickly - his head was pounding. He looked at the clock and groaned, remembering the night before.

They had ordered drinks and played poker well into the night. Booth had lost most of the money he had had on him, which fortunately hadn't been much.

Booth got up and went into the living room, rubbing his eyes as he walked. He sat down on the couch and noticed that the TV was on, figuring Sidney must have forgotten to turn it off. Booth would have done it himself, but the remote seemed much too far away. He had started drifting off again, until he heard the current report on the news.

An old picture of Sidney was on the screen, as the voice of the news caster was heard.

"...he has not yet been apprehended, although he has been sighted in the DC area..."

It was then that Booth noticed that the single bag Sidney had brought was not in its usual place at the end of the couch, nor were any of the other things he normally left lying around.

"Dammit!" Booth got up and dressed quickly. He was out the door in a matter of minutes.

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Medico-Legal Lab

Jeffersonian

Brennan sat in front of her computer, the latest chapter of her book on the screen. She hadn't actually typed anything in quite awhile, but sat staring at the words, lost in thought.

She had been at the lab since early that morning, hoping that Booth would show up. After all, they still had a case to solve, and she couldn't do anything else until he got there - they had already gathered all the data they could from the evidence. Even if Booth _was_ mad at her, she didn't think he'd just abandon Serena and the case. However, when he hadn't shown up by 11, she and Angela had gone to the FBI building to find him. He hadn't been in his office and no one had seen him all day.

It was now 5 o'clock and she still hadn't heard from him. She was beginning to worry just how much what she said had affected him, or if this had anything to do with her at all. She had already decided that she would go to his place later and apologize, the anticipation of which hung over her like a dark cloud. She had always been bad at admitting when she was wrong, a fact that had only grown worse as she got older. She sincerely hoped that on this occasion she would be able to do it without making things worse.

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FBI Headquarters

5:15 pm

After hearing the news report, Booth had gone back to The Alibi, hoping that one of Sidney's gambling buddies would know where he had gone. He hadn't asked any of them outright, wary of raising suspicions. Instead, he had joined their group, listening to their conversations as they played, waiting for one of them to let something slip - that is, if any of them actually knew anything...

Booth hadn't been paying attention to how long he had been there, but when he realized it had been more than a few hours and he still hadn't learned anything, he had decided to return to headquarters. Now, he walked down the hallway toward his office, thinking over the facts of the two cases and what he knew about Sidney.

"Booth! Where have you been?" Cullen barked, walking over. Booth stopped reluctantly; he had hoped he would be able to make it without seeing his boss.

"Sorry sir, something came up," he said, hoping he didn't appear too disheveled - he realized he had never actually stopped to check.

"A couple of your squints were here earlier looking for you," Cullen continued, noticing how distracted the agent seemed.

"Thanks," Booth said, as Cullen turned to leave.

Booth was just about to go into his office when Cullen turned back. "I want this case closed, Agent Booth - ASAP. If you have to, declare it unsolved due to lack of evidence. There are more pressing cases I want you working on." Cullen walked away again, disappearing around the next corner.

Booth stepped into his office, frowning at Cullen's sudden impatience. He remembered what Cullen had said about the squints looking for him, but decided he'd just have to stop by the lab later - right now he needed to find out where Sidney was.

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Having hit a dead-end with the few pertinent files he could dig up at the FBI, Booth headed back to The Alibi. This time, he'd have to start asking questions, whether it raised suspicions or not. There wasn't enough time now that Cullen was pushing to close the case. He knew that these two cases were related, and the key was Sidney.

A few minutes later Booth walked under the red neon sign of The Alibi, which was flickering ominously, and spotted Sidney's group at a table in the corner. He wondered vaguely if they ever went home, until he remembered that he had been here at least half the day himself. Pushing that thought firmly to the back of his mind, Booth walked over to the group and sat down, nodding at them in greeting.

An hour later Booth had joined the game, had a drink, and brought up Sidney several times. Every time he received the same reactions - furtive glances and narrowed eyes; no one was willing to give up any information.

Booth had noticed one thing however. Another key member of the group wasn't there, though he had been on every other occasion. Booth joined the next hand of cards, hoping the man would show up soon.

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Medico-Legal Lab

Jeffersonian

7 pm

Brennan saved what few sentences she had succeeded in writing and shut down the computer for the night. Just as she pressed the power button, there was a knock at her door. She turned around in her chair and saw a woman standing there. She had long brown hair, expensive looking clothes, and a very frustrated expression.

"Can I help you?" Brennan asked, standing up from her chair.

The woman simply nodded. "I'm Rebeca - "

That's when Brennan noticed a little boy standing behind her - all golden-brown hair and expressive brown eyes - Parker.

Parker waved from behind his mother's purse. "Hi Bones," he said, smiling in an almost perfect imitation of his father. Brennan's mouth turned up in a smile almost involuntarily at the thought of Booth teaching her nickname to Parker - a thought she realized she didn't mind at all, considering how vehemently she had protested being called 'Bones' a few months ago.

Rebeca cleared her throat then, bringing Brennan back to the present. "Um - yes, hi Rebeca," Brennan said awkwardly, attempting a small smile which she suspected ended up looking more like a grimace. "Were you looking for Booth?"

Rebeca nodded again. "Yeah, I've been about everywhere I can think of - FBI, his apartment, Sid's..." she sighed, "That's just like him, you know," she said, shaking her head, "just going off somewhere; not telling anyone -"

Brennan frowned, thinking just how _unlike_ Booth that was. Rebeca had gone on, ranting about how irresponsible Booth was. "Excuse me," she said, crossing her arms in front her, suddenly feeling the need to defend her partner, "I admit I don't know that much about Booth's past, but that's certainly not how he is now."

Rebeca had stopped mid-sentence, looking surprised at Brennan's outburst. Soon though, that surprise gravitated toward indignant anger. "Well, have you seen him? Do _you_ know where he is?" she asked.

Brennan looked at her feet for a second. "Well - no, but I suspect he's just -"

"If you see him," Rebeca interrupted, "tell him I'm reconsidering moving Parker to New York, and I need to talk to him." With that, she turned and walked out the door. "Come on Parker!" she called over her shoulder.

Parker turned to follow her, but stopped at the door and turned back to Brennan. "Bye Bones," he said sweetly, waving before running after his mother.

Brennan smiled softly and went back to packing up her things for the night. At least she would have _some_ good news when she went to go apologize to Booth.

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**Comments? Questions? Ideas? (Especially ideas - if there's anything you'd like to see in future chapters, please suggest it!) **


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N: I had to post this tonight in celebration of Bones getting picked up for a second season! If you'll excuse me, I have to go do the Dance of Joy (and continue to bounce off the walls).**

**Thank you for all the great reviews everyone! Enjoy: ) **

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Chapter 7 

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The Alibi

7 pm

Three hands of cards had come and gone, and still Booth was none the wiser as to where Sidney had gone. In addition, Sidney's absentee friend hadn't shown either. The only good thing, apparently, was that at least tonight Booth hadn't come away with empty pockets - he'd actually done pretty well, not that it lessened that nagging guilty feeling. Booth excused himself and put on his jacket as he walked out.

Booth had walked only a short distance when a man sprang out of the adjacent alley, grabbing Booth roughly and pulling him back.

"Hey!" Booth said angrily, pushing the man off him and stepping back.

"Look man," he said, as Booth recognized him as one of the bartenders from the Alibi, "you can't keep going in there; poking around like that. People know you're FBI, and when Marcus hears you've been in there asking about Sidney he's not gonna be happy."

"Yeah - thanks," Booth said, rearranging his coat where the man had wrinkled it. He stalked off, leaving the man to call after him.

"Watch yourself next time you come back here then, and don't say I didn't warn you!" The bartender gave up then, going back to his cigarette.

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Brennan pulled over in front of Booth's apartment, stepping out of the car and leaning against the door, gathering her nerve. After a moment, she sighed and walked up to the door, knocking loudly before she could talk herself out of it. When no one answered and she heard no movement within, she walked over to the window and peaked in. _Where is he?_

"Breaking and entering, Bones?"

She jumped and spun around, seeing Booth standing there, a tired smile on his face.

"God, don't do that!" she said, more happy to see him than the annoyance in her voice conveyed. "Where have you been anyway?" she asked, putting her hands in her pockets and trying to ignore the effects of her current adrenaline rush.

Booth looked away, but didn't answer immediately.

Brennan pursed her lips. "It's just, we already found all the evidence and we were looking for you." She paused, waiting for an answer, or any kind of reaction before continuing. "Basically, the case has been on hold, and I think we owe it to Serena to give this case our full attention. She deserves to find out what happened, instead of just waiting around for years and years for her parents to come back, to have any idea of what happened to them at all!"

Booth held out his hand as Brennan grew more and more upset. "Wait a minute - I _have_ been working on this - "

"Then tell me where you were!" she yelled, growing impatient, and angry that she had once again started to lose control of her temper.

"The Alibi. Sidney disappeared the other day. He's the best link we have between the disappearance of Serena's parents as well as your own. He has friends there - I was just trying to get information."

Booth still looked guilty, and Brennan realized why he had been reluctant to tell her where he had been. "You were gambling," she said, anger gone from her tone.

Booth looked down at his fingers, where Brennan realized he was fiddling with the poker chip again.

"Are you okay?" she asked, somewhat awkwardly.

Booth looked up, surprised at the concern in her voice. He smiled reassuringly (though whether it was to reassure himself or her, he wasn't certain). "Yeah."

They stood in silence until Brennan remembered why she had come in the first place. "I...um, I wanted to - apologize, for what I said to you the other day at the lab. I was being irrational. I had no right to judge you - I mean anthropologically speaking -" by this point she had begun rambling, and didn't notice Booth's slight smile.

"Bones -" Of course, she didn't hear him, and continued.

" - it's only natural to assume that one's predetermined -"

"Temperance," Booth said more loudly, touching her arm, "you don't need to apologize. I understand, you were upset. You had good reason to be."

Brennan nodded. "I'm still sorry," she shrugged. They both smiled then, glad to at least be on good terms again. Brennan remembered Rebecca's visit. "Oh - Rebecca came by the lab earlier with Parker, looking for you. She said she was reconsidering moving him to New York and to tell you she needed to talk to you.

Booth looked startled, but happy. "Thanks. I should, um," he pointed over his shoulder at the apartment, presumably at the phone inside.

"Yeah, sure," she nodded, turning back toward her car.

"I'll see you tomorrow after I check in at headquarters and we can go over any new developments."

"Bye," Brennan called, getting into her car.

Booth had already turned, walking back to his apartment, looking much better than he had when she had first seen him.

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FBI Headquarters

8 am

Booth walked down the hallway to his office, dramatically more cheerful than he had been the day before. After talking to Brennan he had called Rebecca, and he had to admit it had gone much better than he had anticipated. Not only was she not moving Parker to New York, she had decided to let Parker stay with him. Apparently Rebecca's fiance had been transferred to a higher position in Manhattan, but they would need to travel a lot. While Booth disapproved at how easily Rebecca seemed to be able to just leave Parker behind and go off with her fiance, he was also extremely happy that the circumstances had played out this way. There was still about a week until they were scheduled to leave for New York, but with all the chaos of packing Rebecca had decided that Booth could pick up Parker that morning.

He had just reached his office and started opening the door when Cullen spoke from across the hall. "Booth - meet me in my office."

Booth sighed and closed the door, following Cullen. "Sir?" he said, sitting down.

Cullen took a file folder out of the top drawer and threw it on the desk in front of Booth.

"What's this?" Booth asked, taking the file and opening it.

Cullen folded his hands on top of the desk. "That - is your new case. I've closed the Pearsons' file - "

"What? Why?"

Cullen sighed. "I reviewed the case, and there's simply not enough evidence there. You could look forever; I don't think it's worth the time."

Booth couldn't accept that, or the fact that it was Cullen who was saying it; he'd never been known to give up easily. "No, there's more there, we can solve this. I have a lead!"

Cullen shook his head, his gaze directed at the mahogany wood of his desk. "I'm sorry Booth, the case is closed. That's final."

Booth remembered what Brennan had said about having to wait forever; never knowing. He decided he was going to solve this, whether or not he had the FBI's resources behind him. "No it's not," he said, standing up. "I'm going to keep investigating."

"I'll suspend you," Cullen said matter-of-factly.

Booth opened the door and looked back. "Go ahead," he challenged, and slammed the door behind him.

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Medico-Legal Lab

Jeffersonian

Brennan sat an autopsy table, half-heartedly examining the remains of an Incan mummy, while Angela sketched it's face. Zack stood nearby, reconstructing one femur which had been crushed during the excavation in which it was found. Hodgins had just taken some samples to look at bug activity.

The day had been a slow one and Brennan was far more interested in solving the disappearance of Serena's parents than in identifying the mummy (a rarity considering how often she liked to let an investigation interfere with her regular work). However, Booth hadn't shown up yet, and Brennan found herself wondering if he had gone to investigate without her again.

A few minutes later Dr. Goodman walked up, finding Brennan seemingly staring through the bone fragment she was holding, lost in thought. "Have we acquired x-ray vision Temperance? It could come in handy on your next case." An amused smile crossed his face.

"What?" Brennan looked up from the bone, startled out of her thoughts.

Angela smirked. "Oh, she's just waiting for Booth to show up. They had an 'evidence date'."

"Ange," Brennan said warningly, and then turned back to Dr. Goodman. "We were supposed to continue with the Pearson case, but Booth hasn't shown up yet. He said he was just going to stop at headquarters and then come here. He was supposed to be here awhile ago."

Dr. Goodman nodded. "You think he may be in danger from whoever is responsible for kidnapping the Pearsons?"

Brennan shrugged. Truthfully, she didn't know what to think - she was probably just overreacting anyway with the stress of the past few days catching up to her.

"I'll call Deputy Director Cullen and ask if he's come in today," he said, and walked back to his office.

"So," Angela began, putting down her sketchbook, "you apologized to Booth last night?"

Brennan smiled. "Yeah, we're good."

Angela's smile then turned mischievous. "That's good. So...when are you two having a non-corpse related date?" she asked, raising her eyebrows. "Cause you know, if I had a hot FBI guy for a partner - talk about salty goodness - "

"Ange!" Brennan laughed, smacking her friend on the arm.

Dr. Goodman cleared his throat from behind them, causing them to stop and turn expectantly. "I've been informed that Agent Booth has been suspended."

"For what?" Brennan wondered what could possibly have happened to get Booth suspended.

"Apparently, the Deputy Director decided to close the Pearson case due to lack of evidence. He told Agent Booth to move on to a new case, but he refused, even after he was warned that continuing the investigation would result in suspension."

"Well, does he know where Booth is now?"

"No." Dr. Goodman shook his head as Brennan and Angela exchanged worried looks.

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Brennan sat in her office, reading a report about a car that had been found recently that matched the description of the Pearsons' car. Booth had sent it to her a couple of days ago, but as they had both been somewhat preoccupied she hadn't gotten around to looking at it.

There was a knock at the door and Brennan looked up, relieved when she saw that it was Booth. "Hi. So, uh- I guess you heard, huh?" he said, gesturing over his shoulder into the main lab, where the other squints had just finished interrogating him on the specifics of his suspension.

Brennan nodded as Booth sat down across from her. She didn't say anything else for a minute, and Booth wondered if she was somehow angry at him again.

"Why would you do that?" she asked.

"What, get myself suspended?" he said, smiling sheepishly. "Well, it was kind of a heat-of-the-moment type of thing, but..." he paused working out what to say. "Basically what it boils down to is the fact that Cullen was wrong to close the case. Even he knew that we could solve it with a little more time, and I intend to find the truth no matter what. What you said the other day? About having to wait - no one deserves that, and I'm not about to let it happen to Serena."

"Thank you." Brennan smiled softly, and Booth returned it.

Just then a small figure with a mass of curly golden hair ran into the room laughing. Brennan was startled, until she realized it was Parker. "Hi Bones!" he said, before running to Booth and jumping into his lap. "The squints are nice Daddy. The bug guy let me hold a beetle that EATS people!" Booth laughed, and Brennan rolled her eyes, smiling; knowing Hodgins would jump at the chance to turn Parker into a bug-lover.

A few seconds later Angela came running into the room, out of breath. "There you are," she said, looking at Parker. "I was going to show him the Angelator," she explained, turning to Booth.

"Yeah, sure," Booth said, taking Parker off his lap. "Go on, go with Angela. I have some work to do with Bones okay?"

"Okay." Parker ran up to Angela and took her hand as she led him to her office.

Brennan watched Booth smiling at them as they walked down the hallway and out of sight. "So, I take it you talked to Rebecca?"

"Yeah. Parker's gonna be staying with me."

"That's wonderful. For how long?" Brennan assumed he meant maybe a weekend at most.

"Pretty much permanantly. Rebecca's still moving to New York with her fiance, but since his shiny new promotion calls for a lot of traveling, she decided Parker could stay with me."

Brennan looked appalled. "How could she do that? As a mother it contradicts the natural instincts that society teaches us. To just walk away from a child, _her _child so easily, it's just - "

"Geez, Bones," Booth teased, "whose side are you on?"

Brennan laughed, embarrassed.

Booth noticed the file open on Brennan's desk and picked it up. "So, you wanna go check this out? The FBI forensics lab is holding the car right now, and Angela agreed to watch Parker for awhile..."

"Yeah, sure."

Brennan and Booth left, heading to Booth's SUV.

Brennan wondered if Parker was having fun with Angela and the others, and found herself imagining Booth's reaction if Parker were to become a squint. She smiled and Booth looked at her, eyebrows raised. "What?"

"Nothing," she laughed.

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**Questions? Comments? Ideas? **  



	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8

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FBI Forensics Lab

Fortunately, Booth had some friends at the lab, most of which didn't know he had been suspended anyway. He was currently standing a few feet away while Brennan inspected the vehicle. At the moment, her muffled voice was emanating from inside the car. "No blood, nothing out of place, nothing that shouldn't be here. I don't think they were ever in this car that night. Were any prints recovered?"

"No, just Serena's and her parents'."

Brennan poked her head out of the car, holding up a cotton swab and smiling triumphantly. "Well, whoever drove it was careful enough to wear gloves, but they're not a big investor in tissues."

Booth raised his eyebrows as Brennan got out of the car, waiting for her to explain.

She held out the swab for him to see. "They sneezed all over the dashboard."

"Yuck - Bones..." he said, pushing the hand with the swab away from himself.

She slipped the swab into a test tube and capped it. "I'll take this back to the lab and we can test it for DNA."

Booth's cell phone rang and he answered, walking a few feet away. "Booth." He looked back at Brennan, who was watching expectantly. "Yeah. I'll be there soon," he said, and hung up. "That was one of my contacts at the Alibi. Apparently Marcus is the guy I've been looking for, and he just showed up down there."

Brennan frowned, noticing he hadn't said 'we'll' be there soon. "Well, how come I can't go with you?"

Booth shook his head. "Its not safe. I've already been warned about showing up there with Marcus around - I don't want to put you in danger too."

"Booth, I'm perfectly capable - "

"And," Booth interrupted, smiling at the now common argument, "I'm gonna need you to pick up Parker for me."

"What - why? I thought Angela was watching him."

Booth chuckled; Brennan looked almost petrified at the thought of babysitting Parker. "Angela's been watching him all day. Besides, she said she had a date tonight. I should be back in an hour, okay?"

Brennan nodded. She knew she could be good with kids, but that didn't stop the fears that she knew had everything to do with psychology and nothing to do with logic, from sneaking up on her.

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Medico-Legal Lab

Jeffersonian

Brennan walked through the sliding-glass doors of the lab, which was currently in a state of chaos. The squints plus a few lab technicians were running around frantically. Brennan spotted Angela nearby and went over to her. "What's going on?"

Angela spun around, looking anxious. "Hey - Bren," she said, looking over Brennan's shoulder for something. "Is um, is Booth here?"

Brennan narrowed her eyes. "No. Why?"

Angela let out a relieved sigh. "Good, you can help us then."

"Angela, what happened?"

Angela laughed nervously. "Well, Zach was showing Parker his beetles and pointing out their names. Parker wanted to play with the one named Skip, and then he kinda tipped the jar over - so now there are beetles everywhere and we can't find Parker, and - "

"What! You lost Parker? I'm supposed to be picking him up! I'm calling Booth," she said frantically, moving toward her office.

Hodgins' head popped up from beneath an autopsy table, where he was collecting beetles. "No, don't do that! Booth will kill us - literally!"

"Guys," Angela said, raising her arms, "calm down. He's around here somewhere. I'm sure he's just hiding."

Brennan ignored them and continued on to her office. She was about to pick up the phone when she heard a sneeze come from the vicinity of the empty couch. Relieved, she walked over and knelt down, looking underneath. "Parker - do you want to come out from under there?" He shook his head. "Why not?"

"I let all the beetles out and now everyone's going to be mad at me."

Brennan tried to smile in what she hoped was a reassuring way. "No they're not. Besides, your dad asked me to pick you up and watch you for awhile, so I really need you to come out from under there. Please?" She tried not to let too much anxiety creep into her voice, but this was Booth's son, and she didn't want to mess up.

Parker considered. "Can we do something fun?"

"Um, yeah," Brennan said, though she couldn't think of one thing she had in her apartment that a 6-year-old would consider fun. She just hoped she could find something.

"Okay." Parker slid out from under the couch.

Brennan stood and Parker grabbed her hand as they walked out of the office.

"Oh good, you found him!" Angela ran over happily.

Brennan nodded. "I'm going to take him to my place now. I'll see you tomorrow Ange." She started walking away, but then turned back, reaching into her bag. "Oh, can you have Hodgins and Zach run this sample? I need the DNA as soon as possible." Angela nodded and took the test tube. "Thanks," she said, leading Parker out to her car.

"Okay, good luck sweetie." Angela only hoped that the kid wouldn't be bored out of his mind.

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The Alibi

Booth walked past the bar, spotting Marcus, Sidney's missing friend from the day before. He walked right up to him, sparing only a quick glance at the table and the card game that was going on.

"Marcus, hi." Booth greeted him cheerfully, before going closer and lowering hi voice. "I was hoping I could speak to you privately. It's about Sidney."

Marcus looked at him suspiciously before replying. "No, I don't think so."

"Come on, I'll buy you a drink," Booth offered, nonchalantly moving his jacket aside to reveal his badge. He hoped that despite what the bartender had said, it could still inspire some cooperation. Marcus frowned and followed Booth to the bar.

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Brennan's Apartment

No sooner had Brennan begun to worry about what she owned that could be considered 'fun', Parker decided he was hungry. "What would you like?" she asked, hoping she had whatever it was.

"Peanut butter and jelly."

Brennan groaned inwardly. She had peanut butter but no jelly; she had always hated the combination, much to her young classmates' horror and dismay. "I'm sorry, I don't have jelly." She walked over to the cabinets, looking for anything he might like. She hardly ever ate at home anymore. Suddenly, she remembered something she had that was perfect. "Parker, do you like Marshmallow Fluff?"

Parker's face lit up. "Yeah! Mom never lets me get it though."

Brennan smiled. "Consider it a treat." She had always kept a jar of Fluff around as long as she could remember. If she was feeling sad or lonely, she'd make a peanut butter and fluff sandwich with hot-cocoa.

Ten minutes later Brennan and Parker were sitting on the couch eating Fluffernutter sandwiches and sipping hot chocolate. Parker was quickly becoming covered in peanut butter and marshmallow. He dipped his finger in some marshmallow that had squirted out the side of the sandwich and licked it off, watching Brennan as she ripped small bites off with her fingers, becoming almost as sticky as Parker.

"How come you don't have a TV?" he asked, taking a sip of cocoa.

Brennan had just finished her sandwich and had to drink some cocoa before replying. "It...broke awhile ago. I'm sorry I don't really have anything for kids around here..."

"Do you have books?"

"Yeah, just a minute." Brennan was surprised that he actually liked books. Weren't six year-olds supposed to hate reading and watch cartoons all day? She got up and headed to her bedroom closet. She kept a box of her old childrens' books at the bottom. She brought the whole box out for Parker to pick from. She hadn't looked at them in years, but now she was glad to be seeing them again.

Parker looked through them, finally settling on an old edition of The Magic Ring, one of Brennan's favorites. She had made her parents read it to her almost non-stop for quite awhile. Parker handed it to her and climbed onto the couch next to her. She opened the book and Parker leaned his head against her arm so he could see the pictures. Brennan was taken aback at first, but quickly grew comfortable with it as she began reading.

_"Once, a poor servant girl and the family she worked for were traveling through a great, dark forest..."_

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The Alibi

Booth and Marcus sat at the bar, drinks so far untouched.

Booth looked at Marcus closely. "You know where Sidney is don't you?"

Marcus pulled the peanut dish over. "If I did I certainly wouldn't tell you," he said, absently rolling a peanut between his fingers.

"Why not?"

"You're FBI - I don't trust the FBI." Marcus sat back in his chair, eating the peanut.

"But you've seen me here before, you know I'm his friend."

Marcus chuckled darkly. "I think we both know Sidney's choice in friends has never been good."

Booth sighed. "Fine, if you won't tell me where he is now, at least tell me why he left the army."

Marcus smirked. "I think you know exactly why he left." He stood up, putting on his coat. "I'm done with this conversation. Don't come back in here again." He turned and started walking toward the door.

Booth got up, about to go after him, but then remembered he hadn't paid for the drinks. He ran back and slapped a handful of cash on the counter, missing Marcus signaling to the group at the table in the corner. He ran out the front door, finding Marcus in the alley beside the Alibi.

"Look, I don't care what you think about me. I'm not looking to arrest Sidney, I just need to know where he is. Now, if you aren't willing to cooperate I'd be more than happy to arrest you for that illegal betting you've got going on."

Marcus didn't respond, he simply turned and walked away, as the group from the table in the corner left the Alibi.

Booth sighed, frustrated. This was going nowhere, and he couldn't arrest Marcus because he didn't really have any proof that he had been involved in illegal betting - he was just hoping it would get some reaction out of him. He began walking back to his car, but stopped as the five guys from the Alibi stepped in front of him, blocking his exit from the alley. The one who stood slightly in front of the rest nodded at Booth.

"So, you're one of the guys that's working for Furlong?"

Booth shook his head. "No, I don't even know who that is."

The man continued, ignoring him. "You know, I hate all politicians pretty much - but I hate corrupt politicians even more; and the people who work for them, well..."

"Look, I don't have time for this," Booth tried to push past them.

"I don't think so." The man pushed Booth, and he stumbled a bit. He recovered quickly and punched the man in the jaw. That set off the others and they joined in. After that, it was hard for Booth to hold them off. He got in a couple of good punches, trying to put distance between himself and them. Unfortunately, one he hadn't seen before came from behind and grabbed Booth's arms while another took his gun from its holster.

Booth used the man who was holding him to swing off the ground, kicking the man in front of him hard in the stomach. The man stumbled while the other loosened his grip on Booth's arms; but only momentarily. A second later and Booth would have twisted away. However, the man who had taken his gun chose that moment to hit him over the head with it. He fell to the ground, already feeling the blood dripping down his face. He heard the men yelling to each other and the sound of a car speeding off before he passed out.

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**Comments? Questions? Ideas?  
**

** A/N: Parker cuteness dedicated to 24 Nutcase for suggesting that Brennan babysit Parker, and that Parker could 'wreak havoc' at the lab. : )**


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9

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Booth sat up slowly, holding a hand to his head. Fortunately, the bleeding had stopped, but he was left with a splitting headache. He groaned and pushed himself up, using the wall for support. He walked to the car, trying to ignore the throbbing of his head. He looked at his watch; 12:13 am. As he got in the car he remembered that Brennan had picked up Parker hours ago; he'd said he'd be back in one. Turning the car on, he headed for Brennan's apartment.

Ten minutes later he was walking up to the door. He raised his hand to knock, but realized Parker would probably be asleep. He found the spare key Brennan kept hidden, even though he had told her many times that it wasn't safe. He was glad it was there tonight, however, as he unlocked the door and put the key back in its hiding place.

He slipped through the door quietly and was met with a scene that put a smile on his face. Parker was asleep in Brennan's lap, while Brennan had nodded off as well, holding a storybook loosely in one hand. Two jars, one of peanut butter and the other containing Marshmallow Fluff sat open on the coffee table, plates - empty but for crumbs - next to them.

As Booth turned to close the door behind him, Brennan's eyes fluttered open. She moved to get up, and then saw Parker sleeping comfortably in her lap. She was about to settle down again when she glanced up and saw Booth standing near her front door. "Booth, what happened?" she asked worriedly, gesturing to the obvious injury just above his eyebrow. She gently moved Parker onto the couch, walking over to Booth and examining his forehead.

Booth actually looked somewhat embarrassed. "Some guys at the Alibi - I think they work for Marcus..."

"Sit down, I'll get you some ice," Brennan said, walking to the kitchen. Booth was sitting next to Parker when Brennan came back with a damp towel, and an ice pack, as well as some gauze and tape. She sat down next to him on the other side, putting the various items on the coffee table. She picked up the towel, tilting his head slightly with one hand and gingerly wiping the now dried blood off of his face with the other. "What did they hit you with? This looks pretty nasty..."

Booth grinned, amused by the way she was fussing over him. "He wasn't too much trouble?" Booth nodded in Parker's direction.

"Not at all." Brennan smiled, realizing that it really hadn't been as difficult as she had expected.

Booth smiled back. "Thanks for watching him," he said, as Brennan took out a piece of gauze and tape.

"You're welcome," she said, carefully placing the gauze and taping the edges. After Brennan had finished smoothing on the tape, she handed him the ice pack. He took it, pressing it lightly to his head. They sat in silence for few minutes before Booth took off the ice pack, putting it down on the table again. "We should be going..." he said, looking at Parker.

Brennan nodded as Booth picked him up, still sleeping. "So, I'll see you at the lab tomorrow?" she asked, following Booth over to the door and opening it for him.

"Yeah - and thanks again for babysitting. Parker will be back in school and I'm hiring an actual babysitter, so you won't have to worry about doing this again..."

Brennan shook her head. "Honestly, I didn't mind - it was actually kind of fun."

Booth smiled. "Good night Bones," he said, walking down to his SUV and putting Parker in the back seat.

Brennan watched from the door as they drove off, and found herself wishing that Booth _wouldn't _hire a babysitter.

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Medico-Legal Lab

Jeffersonian

8:30 am

Booth and Brennan stood talking by an autopsy table as Angela walked into the lab.

"Hey, Booth. Brennan beat you up?" she said jokingly. "I knew it would happen sooner or later," she winked.

Booth laughed. "Actually it was a bunch of guys from the Alibi. But _while_ I was being beat up I managed to catch a couple things that might help us. They seemed to think I worked for someone named Furlong, and they were protecting Sidney. My guess is, this is the guy Sidney was talking about, the one who's been ordering the kidnappings. I've got Hodgins running the name for me."

Brennan nodded. "So, what should we be doing now?"

"We are going to go back to the Alibi, find Marcus, and get him to talk." Booth started walking out of the lab, but waited for her to catch up.

Brennan didn't look so sure. "Do you really think that's a good idea Booth?" she asked, looking at the now black and blue bruise on his forehead.

"Sure," he said, putting his arm around her shoulders as they walked. "I've got you right? My kick-ass anthropologist with superpowers."

Brennan smiled as they walked out through the sliding-glass doors.

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Surprisingly Marcus hadn't put up much of a fight, leaving Brennan feeling disappointed. Knowing it was his fault that Booth had gotten hurt, she had felt a strong desire to beat him up. Now, she sat across from him at the table, while Booth stood next to her.

"Why are you so willing to talk today Marcus?"

Marcus looked up, a note of anger in his eyes. "Because Sidney's dead," he said harshly.

Booth sat down next to Brennan. "How do you know that?" Marcus didn't answer. "Did you order it?"

Marcus rolled his eyes, exasperated. "No, I was trying to _protect_ Sidney. It's your fault he got killed."

"How's that?" Booth asked, trying to suppress the guilt that was already seeping in, despite the fact that he didn't even know if Marcus was telling the truth yet.

"You got involved in this case and Sidney gave you information," Marcus replied.

"Who's Furlong?"

Marcus shook his head. "No, I'm not getting myself killed too."

Booth sighed and stood up, gesturing to Brennan to follow him. He wished he could just arrest the guy, but as he was suspended that wasn't an option. "If you decide to be helpful, give me a call." Booth handed Marcus a slip of paper with his cell phone number on it. Then he and Brennan left, heading back to the Jeffersonian.

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"Dr. Brennan," Zack called as she and Booth entered the lab, "Hodgins found Furlong."

"Thanks Zack."

Booth and Brennan found Hodgins at his computer, smiling to himself.

"What'd you find out?" Booth asked, leaning on the desk and looking at the screen.

"Well, mark another one down for Team Paranoia - one more very corrupt politician. George Furlong, he's been involved in all sorts of scandals for the past 15 years."

"Where is he now?"

"According to his assistant, he and his fiance just took a flight to Manhattan."

Booth stood up straight. "Manhattan?"

"What?" Brennan asked, wondering what he was thinking.

"That's where Rebecca and her fiance were supposed to be going," he said, chewing his lip.

"It's probably just a coincidence Booth," Brennan assured him.

Booth shook his head distractedly. "There's two things I don't believe in - leprechauns and coincidences."

Brennan frowned. _Leprechauns?_ "Well, is her fiance named George Furlong?"

"I don't know." Brennan and Hodgins looked at him incredulously. "What? He's my ex's fiance - it's not like I'm going to go out of my way to get to know the guy...or apparently ask his name..." He shrugged, feeling incredibly stupid. "Look, just keep digging and find out who Furlong's fiance is okay?"

"The DNA results from the car are in," Zack announced, walking up and handing a printout to Booth.

"Dan Williams," Booth read aloud, "a Ranger." He looked at Brennan. "Well, let's go talk to Dan."

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Booth knocked loudly on the door while Brennan stood beside him. "Mr. Williams - Agent Seeley Booth, FBI. I'd like to ask you some questions."

A few seconds later they heard the lock turn and the door opened. "Yeah?"

"Can we come in?"

The man looked the two of them over suspiciously. "No, sorry."

Booth sighed. He had been hoping the man would invite him in, as he had no warrant and no way of obtaining one while he was suspended. He looked around at the little he could see through the doorway, spotting a ripped Kevlar vest in one corner. "You were involved in the kidnapping of the Pearsons," Booth stated, nodding in the direction of the vest.

Dan closed his eyes and looked down. "I can't tell you anything."

"Because of Furlong?"

Dan nodded. "Yes, he'll have me killed. Unless - you can give me some kind of protection?"

Booth sighed. "Okay. Tell us what you know - everything that you know - and then stick with us." Booth just hoped he wasn't making an empty promise. Dan wouldn't be getting official FBI protection.

Dan opened the door wider, letting Booth and Brennan enter. A few minutes later they were sitting on Dan's couch. He had insisted on getting them some water, and was off in the kitchen.

"Why would he leave the vest out in plain sight?" Brennan wondered aloud.

"Probably because a part of him wants to get caught. He's tired of doing these jobs and he wants a way out."

Dan walked back in with two glasses of water, handing one to each of them before sitting down across from them. He looked as if he didn't quite know what to say.

"Was this your first job with Furlong?" Booth prompted.

Dan shook his head. "No, there was one other - that one I did with Sidney. It was an old man; I don't know his name."

"How do you know Sidney?"

"We were in the same regiment - both snipers. He talked about you, it was right after you'd left I guess. We worked together on every job, until recently. One of the last jobs we did with the army - it just went wrong. Sidney didn't want to do it again. Then Furlong approached us, asking for another 'favor'. That's when Sidney ran away. I did the Pearsons by myself while Sidney was hiding out. I guess Furlong found out that Sidney was staying with you. He thought Sidney had ratted him out, so he had him killed - by me." Dan looked down sadly.

Brennan sat forward. "What did you do with the - " she began, but caught herself when she noticed the dark look that passed over Booth's face. " - with Sidney and the Pearsons - after?" She looked away momentarily, doubting that she'd actually managed to make the question any less unfeeling.

Dan sighed. "There was a place Sidney said he'd used before - it's in Maryland."

Booth and Brennan exchanged anxious glances, both knowing what Sidney had probably used it for.

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**Questions? Comments? Ideas? **

**Thanks for all the great reviews last time guys! I think that was the most I've ever gotten for one chapter. They were really helpful. **


	10. Chapter 10

**A/N: I'm immensely sorry about how long it's taken me to update this (about a month and a half!). At least three weeks of that time I was busy with late night dress rehearsals and performances of my school's production of Camelot. The rest can be blamed on a vicious bout of writer's block in between.**

**I had a bit of a dilemma trying to decide what to include in this fic, since I started writing it before The Man on the Fairway. For the most part, I've decided keep everything that happened from Two Bodies in the Lab onward out of it and maintain the fic in its own little bubble reality. I'm also going to go on with my own version of what became of Brennan's parents, the way I originally planned it.**

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Chapter 10 

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As they drove to the location in Maryland, Brennan noticed that Booth was unusually quiet. It could have been because Dan was driving ahead of them, and Booth was concentrating on following him, but Brennan had noticed a darkly haunted look in his eyes ever since they had left Dan's. She wanted to talk to him about it, but she wasn't quite sure how to approach the topic.

Both Brennan and Booth were anticipating what they would find at the site. From what Dan had said, they would definitely find the bodies of Sidney and the Pearsons, but that's not what had butterflies fluttering in Brennan's stomach. Dan had said that Sidney had used the area before - meaning that it was probable that they would also find Brennan's parents. Brennan wasn't sure whether she should feel relieved that she might finally put her parents to rest, or to break down crying because she would know for sure they were dead. Before there had always been a the possibility that they hadn't been killed - that they were still alive and well somewhere. This debate was what made Brennan nauseous as they pulled over behind Dan.

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Booth watched Brennan closely as they came to a stop. She looked pale, and was absently picking at her fingernails. He didn't know what would be worse - if they found her parents or if they didn't. Whatever happened here, he hoped it would at least lead to the arrest of Furlong and a conclusion to the Pearson case. With Dan's testimony and any proof of murder at this site, he'd hopefully be able to get Cullen to officially reopen the case and send some agents to bring in Furlong from Manhattan.

Dan was waiting for them at the entrance to the woods. It's pretty far in," he called to them as they approached, "but we'll probably make it back by nightfall."

Booth and Brennan came to a halt beside him. "Probably?" Booth asked skeptically. "It's only 2:30." Dan shrugged and started walking, leading them into the woods.

It grew darker the further they got, as the sunlight filtered through increasingly dense treetops. Everything was silent, except for the snapping twigs beneath their feat. None of them spoke, each lost in their own thoughts.

After about 45 minutes, they reached a small clearing. Booth stopped Dan from going any further, giving Brennan room to look around. He wanted to be sure Dan had led them to the right spot. Brennan walked the perimeter of the clearing, stooping once and while to examine things.

"The leaves of the surrounding foliage are waxy from methane gas, and the soil is saturated with adipocere. There are definitely decaying remains here. I'd say most likely more than three bodies."

Booth turned to Dan, who was now crossing the clearing to a spot beneath two large overhanging branches. "This is where I - where I buried them." He looked down and began using his foot to push away some of the slightly heaped dirt and slowly uncovered what appeared to be the black plastic of a shallowly buried trash bag.

Booth looked over his shoulder at Brennan, to find that she had knelt down and was methodically scooping handfuls of earth aside with her hands. He walked over to her and knelt down beside her, though she didn't acknowledge his presence. "Bones..." She didn't look up, just kept scooping dirt. "Temperance?" That got her attention and she looked up slowly, meeting Booth's concerned gaze. "You don't need to do this," he said, glancing at her soiled hands. "Dan's showed us where the Pearsons are, which means - "

Brennan shook her head fiercely, cutting him off. "No. There's more than three bodies - I _have_ to find them - " She began moving soil more frantically as she continued speaking, no longer looking at him. "I know they're here, they've been lost for so long - I have to find them - they'd _want_ me to find them - "

"Temperance, stop - " Booth saw that she was losing control, as tears began to fall down her cheeks.

"That's what I do, that's my job - I find them and give them back their identities, I - " Brennan's eyes widened as pale bone became visible in the dirt.

Booth grabbed both her hands, stopping their frantic movements, and pulled her towards him. She gave in and collapsed against him, her body shaking as she cried, clutching at his shirt and leaving dirty hand prints. A few minutes later, Brennan seemed to have calmed down somewhat, though she hadn't made any move to get up.

"Is this enough to get him?" Dan asked from his side of the clearing, uncomfortable in the silence that had fallen.

Booth sighed, taking Brennan by the shoulders and holding her out in front of him. "Sit tight for a minute?" he asked, smoothing away a strand of hair that clung to her tearstained cheek, and waiting until she had nodded before getting up and crossing the clearing back over to Dan.

"Along with your testimony, yes. Hopefully we'll be able to charge him with conspiracy, but we can at least bring him in for questioning and try to get him to talk."

Dan looked thoughtful for a moment. "What if you had a hand written note from him, ordering a hit?"

Booth couldn't imagine that Furlong would be that stupid. "That would be great, we could easily confirm that it was him. Why? Do you happen to have one?"

Dan shook his head, looking down at his hands. Booth's spirits fell and he turned back to Brennan, only to find that she had moved to sit on a nearby log, her head in her hands.

He went over and sat on the log next to her, taking one of her now slightly shaky hands in his and rubbing his thumb across it in circular patterns. "Hey, we've got enough here - I just need to call Cullen and get him to send some people out here."

Brennan nodded slightly and gave Booth an encouraging half smile as he stood up, taking out his cell phone. Dan had come over while they were talking, and stood watching them. He looked torn, like he was trying to make up his mind about something. Booth dialed Cullen's number and was just about to hit SEND when Dan seemed to come to a conclusion and quickly pulled his gun on the pair.

Booth paused, slipping the cell phone back into his pocket. "Dan, what are you doing?"

"I'm sorry - I didn't want to do this."

"Then don't," Booth said, aiming to reason with him.

"I have to - it'll be a whole lot worse if I don't. It's the last thing he's gonna ask me to do - then it's over."

"Dan, we agreed to protect you. We're gonna get him - he's not going to hurt anyone else."

"No, he's got too many connections. Even locked up he can have me killed - not to mention you and everyone you care about. It's better this way."

"Dan, if you do this, he'll never be caught. He'll keep killing people. Think about all the innocent people he's killed. The victims, and their families who have to go on without them...And what's to say he won't force you to do something else anyway? You don't know that he'll keep his end of the deal. He might say that this is the last thing he'll ask you to do anything, and he might say that the next time too. You can't trust a guy like him."

Dan looked down, lowering his gun a fraction. It seemed as though he might have seen reason, until a new resolve made it's way into his eyes and his gun hand steadied. "After this I'll call the local police and give them an anonymous tip. I'll have done my job and Furlong won't suspect it was me who tipped them off. The handwritten order from Furlong is in Sidney's pocket. They'll find it when they dig up the bodies. They'll still get him."

As they had talked, Brennan had slowly edged her way around the clearing, sneaking up behind Dan. Dan nodded slowly, as if reassuring himself. He aimed the gun and put his finger on the trigger.

The next events happened so quickly, they seemed almost simultaneous. Brennan knocked his hand to the side, catching him off balance. Dan twisted as he fell into Brennan, a shot rang out, and they both fell to the ground.

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**Comments? Questions? Ideas?  
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	11. Chapter 11

**A/N: Sorry to leave you all hanging for so long - I was in Disney with my school's choir all of last week. We had to ride all the way there in a bus. Though it was funny when we went through DC, I was like 'OMG! Brennan and Booth have been in this very spot!' Of course, everyone looked at me like I was nuts...lol**

**ERT evidence recovery team - I'm not sure, it might be the same thing as CSIs, just the Canadian version. I've been reading Kathy Reich's books, and the ERT was mentioned at a crime scene in Montreal. It sounded cool though... : p**

**Oh, and thanks for all the wonderful reviews guys - we made it to the 100 mark! Let's see if we can get it to the 200 mark by the end huh: D **

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Chapter 11 

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Dan's gun had discharged when he fell, fortunately hitting nothing more than a nearby tree. He rolled away from Brennan and got up on one knee, readjusting his aim to point at her.

During the confusion Booth had been able to grab his own gun, and was now standing over Dan. "Drop it!"

No one moved.

Brennan was crouched on one knee as well, having gotten up halfway. Dan kept his gun pointed at Brennan, while he looked over his shoulder at Booth as he tightened his finger on the trigger. "Dan," Booth warned. Dan's finger twitched and two shots sounded as Booth fired. His shot hit Dan in the leg, while Dan's went wide, missing Brennan by only a few inches. Booth released the breath he had unconsciously been holding and lowered his weapon, meeting Brennan's eyes in a significant glance before they both turned their gaze back to Dan, who was yelling in pain and clutching his leg. The shot had only been meant to incapacitate, basically a graze - despite the pain and blood, he'd live.

After tying the wound tightly with a piece of cloth ripped from Booth's T-shirt and some grumbling on his part that Dan was 'lucky he didn't happen to be wearing his Greatful Dead shirt that day', Booth and Brennan stood a few feet away talking. Booth had his cell phone out, and was currently giving it a glare he usually reserved for those he was interrogating. "I don't get service in here. What about you?" he asked. Brennan shook her head. Booth glanced at Dan, who was now watching their interaction with a pained and angry expression. "We're gonna have to leave him here and go back out so I can call Cullen."

"Shouldn't someone stay here with him?" Brennan asked somewhat grudgingly.

Booth scowled slightly in Dan's direction. "He's not going anywhere," he said, resting his hand at the small of her back and leading them forward.

Booth held his phone out in front of them as they walked, searching for a signal. After quite awhile he saw the bars shoot up a few notches and stopped abruptly, causing Brennan to bump into him. "Booth, what - "

"Signal," he said simply, dialing Cullen for the second time and pressing SEND. Brennan watched him pace back and forth as he spoke. "Yes sir, the Pearson case...I found them - I need you to reopen the case - it's officially a murder investigation."

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Within the hour Cullen had CSIs and the ERT at the scene as well as EMTs and a few extra agents. As soon as the EMTs had Dan stabilized, he was taken away in hand cuffs. Booth had pulled some strings, and so far Dan had only been charged with assault in return for his continued cooperation.

Brennan and Booth had led them all to the scene and once again sat on the fallen log at the edge of the clearing. Brennan, who had injured her knee during the altercation, was stubbornly trying to oversee the removal of the remains while a few hapless EMTs struggled to bandage the wound. Booth smiled as he watched her push one of them out of the way as she yelled at one of the ERT. "No, you need to bag that one first! And you're handling the remains all wrong! Do you _want_ to compromise the evidence?"

Booth knew she hated not being in control - of both the recovery and of her own emotions, which were no doubt being pressed to the breaking point. This was her way of dealing at the moment, and Booth hoped he'd be able to help her to continue to deal with it. A moment later his thoughts were interrupted as Cullen sidled up next to him.

"Booth," he said, nodding in greeting.

"Sir?" Booth looked to Cullen with some trepidation, not quite knowing what to expect from him after their last meeting.

Cullen gestured at Brennan, who was bending down in the dirt despite her bad knee in order to take over the recovery, much to the chagrin of the CSIs and the ERT. "She really is something, huh?" he said, giving Booth a knowing look.

Booth smiled absently. "Yeah, she is...I mean - Sir?"

Cullen had started chuckling to himself. "Well, there must be something special about her; getting my top agent to get himself suspended for her." He raised an eyebrow, waiting for Booth's response.

Booth shifted uncomfortably and laughed nervously. "I'm sorry about that sir - "

Cullen held up a hand, becoming suddenly more serious. "That's actually what I need to talk to you about."

Booth nodded hesitantly, preparing himself for the worst.

"Frankly, I expected nothing less from you, but - I had to try."

"What do you mean?" Booth had no idea what his boss was getting at.

Cullen cleared his throat. "Furlong tried to pull some strings, tried to get us close the case. At the time, we had no leads connecting to him as the one ordering the hits, but he knew we'd get there soon enough. He knew that you were working the case, and when I refused to close it he threatened to have you killed. I figured if I suspended you it would at least keep you out of danger until we figured the whole thing out. But, as usual, I underestimated you and your squints...Anyway, I sent some agents after Furlong, I'll let you know when they get back with him."

"Thank you sir." Booth hesitated before asking his next question. "Does this mean I'm no longer suspended?"

"You are correct in your assumption, Agent Booth," Cullen said, clapping Booth on the shoulder as he left to talk to another agent.

Booth sighed in relief and crossed the clearing to where Brennan stood at the edge of the removal sight. She looked up as he approached. "What did Cullen say?"

"He's having Furlong brought in. And I'm not suspended anymore."

"That's good," Brennan said distractedly.

Booth put his hands in his pockets and watched Brennan. She seemed so lost, staring at the scene in front of her but not really seeing it. It seemed that the vigor she had displayed earlier in yelling at the ERT had been worn out, leaving the more hopeless Brennan he had encountered a few hours ago. He desperately wanted to help her, but he wasn't quite sure how. He figured for starters it would be a good idea to get her away from the place. "Hey Bones, whaddya say we get some dinner while they finish up here?"

Brennan's eyes snapped back to the present and met Booth's. She shook her head. "No, I need to be here." She looked at the crew that was currently setting up a grid across the whole clearing in preparation for a full analysis of the site. "In case they find something."

Booth shook his head at her in return. "Bones, you need to eat. This could take hours. If they find anything else they've been instructed to contact me. Okay?" Brennan didn't respond right away and Booth took her hand, giving it a slight tug. He started walking slowly and she followed, her hand remaining in his until they reached the end of the now well beaten path through the woods and back to Booth's SUV.

They had been driving for a few minutes when Brennan noticed the darkening sky for the first time. "Booth, what time is it?" Booth looked at the clock on the dashboard and cursed. "What's wrong?"

"Parker, I have to pick him up at day care by 6. It's already 5:40. You don't mind if we pick him up first do you?" Booth glanced sideways at her briefly.

"Of course not." They were silent for a few minutes before Brennan spoke again. "What happened to getting a babysitter?" she asked curiously, remembering fondly her experience with watching Parker.

Booth was glad to see that the distance from the crime scene seemed to be doing her good and took a moment to reply. "Well, you know, I haven't really had that much time lately. The ones I did talk to didn't seem quite right, and..." _they weren't you_ "Parker said they weren't nearly as pretty as you Bones." Booth gave her his charm smile. He hadn't been sure whether he should have added that last part, but the smile it earned him was more than enough of a reassurance.

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**Questions? Comments? Ideas?**

** Up next: Booth, Brennan, and Parker head to dinner and the case begins to come to a resolution. **


	12. Chapter 12

**A/N: Okay, first off, I _hate_ making excuses, but it's been so long I think you guys deserve an explanation. Pretty much, I had a really hectic summer. My dad had to get heart surgery, and then he was in a rehab center for a few weeks afterward. Between that and visiting colleges, it was very hard to find time to write. On the plus side, it's kind of interesting to note that this chapter was written in many different places within Ithaca, NY(where DB went to college); Los Angeles, and San Francisco, CA.**

**Anyway, this happens to be my longest and fluffiest chapter yet, and I hope it will be enough to make it up to you. I'm hoping to begin winding this story down, as I'll be posting a new(and much better researched) story with a Halloween theme, called _Sanguinarius._  
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**ATTENTION FANFIC WRITERS: The first semi-annual Pudding Awards are going on right now, and we're extending the deadline to October 15. We need more submissions in order to make this work. And don't worry if you don't think your fic is 'good' enough. Above all these awards are meant to be fun and a celebration of creativity. If you know anyone who might like to submit, please tell them!  
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**Read on: )_  
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Chapter 12 

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The car ride to Parker's day-care was a quiet one. Booth glanced at Brennan to find that she had fallen asleep, her head leaning on the window. She looked almost peaceful, and Booth was glad that she might at least be finding some relief from this whole mess while she slept. This entire case had been hard on her; on both of them - but today had been especially difficult.

By the time Booth had parked in front of the school and taken the key from the ignition Brennan still dozed softly in her seat. He figured he'd leave her be, and left the door open, not wanting to slam it. The children were playing in the yard out front and it would only take a minute to find Parker.

Back in the SUV Brennan woke with a start, realizing that they had obviously reached their destination. Her disorientation passed however, and she smiled at the sight of Booth picking his way carefully through the gaggle of playing kids to Parker, who seemed to be animatedly 'presenting' a bug of some kind to a group of decidedly squeamish little girls that looked as though they stayed against their better judgement. _Must be that Booth charm_. Brennan smiled fondly and watched as Booth scooped Parker up and onto his shoulders. Parker waved to the girls as Booth walked back to the car.

Booth set Parker down and opened the door for him. "Hi Bones!" Parker exclaimed enthusiastically as he climbed into his car seat. Booth finished strapping him into his seat as he looked at Brennan and the corner of his mouth turned up, his look seemingly apologetic, but really he couldn't get over how cute it was (no matter how many times he had called her that); that Parker had picked up his nickname for Brennan.

Brennan smiled helplessly, her attempt at a glare ineffectual and turned to address Parker. "You know Parker, I think we know each other well enough - if you want you could call me Tempe." She smiled smugly at Booth as Parker considered her offer, but the smile was banished as Parker came up with his answer.

"That's okay, I like Bones better." He smiled happily and picked up his Game Boy from the back seat, completely oblivious to Booth's look of triumph as he climbed into the front seat, and Brennan's replying scowl.

On the way to Wong Foo's Brennan and Booth were spared any dark thoughts as they were drowned out by the various sounds emitting from Parker's Game Boy, as well as squeals or groans signifying the boy's success or lack thereof.

When they pulled up in front of the restaurant, Parker was up and out of his seat before either Booth or Brennan could reach for their seatbelts. "Daddy, can I go tell Sid we're here?"

Booth chuckled. "Yeah bud - Bones and I'll be in a minute."

Parker slammed the car door and ran happily into the building in search of its owner. He found him behind the bar drying a few glasses and replacing them behind the counter. "Hi Sid!" he called, waving.

Sid looked up and smiled welcomingly. "Hey little man, you here with your dad?"

Parker climbed up onto a barstool before replying. "Yep, and he brought his Bones, she's gonna have dinner with us."

Sid nodded. "_His_ Bones, huh?" Sid asked, smiling knowingly.

"Ahuh." Parker absentmindedly rolled a stray peanut around on the counter. "She's really nice. The other day she babysat me and we got to have cocoa and Fluff'nutter sandwiches; she said they always make you feel better no matter what. I really like her - almost as much as daddy does."

Sid dropped the dishcloth on the counter. "Well, I'll be sure to cook you guys up something extra special then." Sid winked just as Booth and Brennan came in.

"Hey Sid," Booth greeted him, picking Parker up off the stool on his way past. The three of them headed over to a table in the back and sat down. Parker insisted on sitting next to Brennan, and Booth sat across from them. A few minutes later Sid came with drinks; chocolate milk for Parker, Sprite for Brennan, and Rootbeer for Booth. "So, is anyone planning on going against my better judgement and ordering?"

Booth smiled. "Nah, do your thing Sid."

"Right - I've got just the thing." As he left, Sid winked at Parker, who started giggling.

Booth narrowed his eyes. "What's up Bub?"

"Nothing," Parker said innocently. Booth looked at Brennan and shrugged.

Parker got up and took a pen from Booth's jacket pocket before sitting back down to draw on a napkin. "Look Bones! I drew you and Daddy," he said, passing her the napkin. Booth leaned over to get a better view as Brennan slid it in front of herself. Three stick figures had been drawn on the napkin in what was no doubt an intense action scene; most likely Brennan and Booth apprehending a criminal. Booth and Brennan locked eyes across the table. Parker handed Brennan the pen. "Draw something Bones!"

Brennan smiled shyly. "Um, I don't know what to draw - " but was saved by Sid's presence at the table with their food. He placed the first dish in front of Parker; a simple cheeseburger with a smiley face made of ketchup with pickles for eyes and spiky mustard hair. "Cool!" Parker exclaimed; barely hesitating before pressing the top bun down and watching as the condiments squirted out the sides. Next, Sid revealed what he had made for Booth and Brennan, pulling a single dish from behind his back and placing it on the table. Sid laughed at their confused expressions and winked at Parker, who dissolved into another fit of giggles. "It's my own creation - made special for my favorite G-man and his bone lady." On the plate sat four mini Fluffernutter sandwiches cut out from the center of the bread into various shapes. Beside them rested a pile of sweet potato fries with a cup of extra marshmallow dipping sauce.

"Sid, you really didn't have to do this..." Booth chuckled and looked across the table at Brennan.

"Thank you Sid, this really is exactly what I wanted. How'd you know?" Sid laughed good naturedly at Brennan's somewhat troubled expression, no doubt wondering how he knew that the peanut butter and marshmallow concoction was her favorite comfort food. "I had a hunch that someone needed some cheering up. Just...have fun with it," he said before returning to his place behind the bar.

Booth glanced at Brennan with a raised eyebrow and a lopsided smile. "Okay, Bones - let's have fun." She looked back and tilted her head to the side inquisitively, a look that Booth had grown to love. "How?" she asked, a disbelieving smile adorning her face. Booth grinned mischievously, taking a bit of Fluff on his finger and leaning over the table to wipe it on the end of her nose.

"Hey!" her eyes widened in shock and anger before narrowing as she smirked and threw a sweet potato fry at him. It bounced off his shoulder, but he caught it, popping it in his mouth and smiling back at her. "You're gonna have to do better than that Bones." She crossed her arms, trying to look menacing. "You know I'm perfectly capable of flipping you over my shoulder."

Booth picked up another couple of fries, dipping them in marshmallow before eating them. "Yeah, but then I'd be perfectly capable of arresting you for the assault of a Federal Agent," he replied smugly. "Not if you were incapacitated," her mouth settled in an impish grin. Booth did a double take, the hand with the sandwich he had been about to take a bite from pausing halfway to his mouth, as he wondered briefly if she was flirting with him. He put the sandwich back down on the plate before matching her smug smile from earlier. "You still want that gun don't you?"

Brennan pursed her lips, biting back whatever scathing comeback she had in mind, as it was probably not suitable for Parker's ears. Instead she threw another fry at Booth. He ate this one too, and Parker watched the exchange happily while taking large bites out of his burger. Booth was about to reach for another bright orange fry, but had his hand slapped away by Brennan. "I didn't get any of those yet!" She took one for herself, dipping it and bringing it out with a large gob of Fluff on the end. Booth laughed, "It's not _my_ fault - you were throwing them at me!"

The banter continued as they fought over the different shaped sandwiches. Soon the plate was cleared, while Parker had made a good-sized dent in his own meal. His face was covered in ketchup and mustard, and Booth grimaced as he wiped his mouth on his sleeve. Looking at his watch Booth saw that it was later than he had anticipated. He stood, putting a few bills on the table. "Come here Bub, I'll help you get your jacket on." Parker obeyed sleepily, rubbing a heavy-lidded eye as he put one arm in the jacket.

Brennan had just finished donning her own jacket when Booth stood from the slightly crouched position he had been in while helping Parker, and nearly smacked heads with her, not realizing she had been standing so close. Their eyes met, and Booth noticed that she did look happier than when they had first gotten there.

Brennan watched a slow smile spread across her partner's face. "What?" she asked, feeling her cheeks grow hot as he maintained his gaze.

"You've got marshmallow on your nose." He laughed as she rubbed at the end of her nose in vain. "Did I get it?" she asked, scrunching her nose as she inspected her fingers for residue of the offending fluff. Booth shook his head, "Let me." He reached up and cupped her cheek, wiping the marshmallow off with his thumb. He made no move to take his hand away, and Brennan felt her breath catch in her throat.

A sharp ringing broke the moment and Booth fished in his pocket for his cell.

"Booth."

Brennan watched anxiously, trying to discern what the message was from Booth's facial expressions. The fun Sid had helped them conjure up had served to almost make her forget the earlier events of the day. Now, as she listened to Booth's end of the conversation, all the emotions came rushing back.

"Yeah, thanks," Booth wrapped up the conversation and closed his phone with a snap. Not meeting Brennan's eyes, he picked up Parker and led them from the restaurant, Parker waving at Sid over his shoulder. Brennan followed behind them, her nerves threatening to overwhelm her.

Booth strapped Parker into his seat and shut the door before turning to Brennan. He was leaning his shoulder on the diver's side door, arms crossed, chewing his lip nervously, but Brennan couldn't take it anymore. "What did they find?" she asked. Trying, but failing to mask the anxiety in her voice. Booth sighed.

"In addition to the bodies of Sydney, the Pearsons, and the two skeletons you found, they've uncovered two more sets of remains. Besides the Pearsons and Sydney, everything's being sent to the Jeffersonian for identification. "Well, let's go," Brennan said urgently, turning abruptly to walk around to the other side of the car.

"Bones - " Just as quickly Booth wrapped a hand around her arm and turned her around to face him. Brennan looked at him incredulously. "What? I want to be there when they arrive."

Booth's expression was placating. "They aren't going to get there for another couple of hours -"

"But -"

"_and_ the squints can handle it."

"Booth -"

"I'm taking you home you're going to get some rest." His tone left no room for argument, but Brennan recognized the genuine concern in his eyes and found herself sighing and nodding before walking around to the passenger side and getting in.

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The SUV pulled to a stop outside Brennan's apartment building, both passengers fast asleep in their respective seats. Booth turned in his seat and placed his hand on Brennan's shoulder. "Bones," he squeezed her shoulder gently and her eyes fluttered open. Her eyes met his and lingered for a moment before she cleared her throat and sat up straight. "Um, thanks," she said, unbuckling before exiting the car. A few seconds later Booth returned to his usual spot beside her, resting his hand on the small of her back as they walked.

When they reached her door, Brennan stopped and turned toward Booth. "Thank you Booth - for everything." Booth looked as though he was about to wave it off, and Brennan shook her head. "I mean it. I realize I probably don't show it often -" she paused to take a deep breath. "I once asked you why you're nice to me, and you said it's because I make criminals unsafe - but I think it goes deeper than that. You're my friend Booth, and - I guess, I just want you to know that I _am_ grateful; for everything." She felt her cheeks flush slightly when she reached the end of her declaration, and wanted nothing more than to disappear into her apartment.

The next thing she new she was being pulled in for a hug. "You're welcome," he whispered, before pulling away again. "Good night Bones." He smiled again and started walking away, but turned back a moment later, his patented charm smile in place. "Oh, and I'll pick you up...What? Say 10?" He turned around abruptly and walked away, not waiting for a reply. Brennan groaned, but was unable to stop the smile from appearing on her face, realizing that he had intentionally made sure she didn't go back to the Jeffersonian to pick up her car, and was therefore unable to return to the lab. She opened the door to her apartment, smiling and shaking her head as she closed it behind her.

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**Comments? Questions? Ideas? If you don't have anything particular to say, just drop me a note so I know you're still interested in the story. I only got 2 reviews** **last time, so let me know if I should continue. : )**


	13. Chapter 13

**A/N: I would have had this up sooner, but my dad was researching _buckwheat_ of all things... /shakes head/**

**Also, a big thank you to all who reviewed! And don't worry, as long as someone is enjoying this story, I would never leave you hanging. : )**

**To Goldy: Thank you for your encouragement. : ) In my opinion, you're one of the best writers here, so just the fact that you read this story is enough reason to keep writing. /huggles/ **

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Chapter 13 

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After Booth had left the night before, Brennan had collapsed into bed. Surprisingly, her dreams were not plagued by thoughts of her parents, their disappearance, or their possible discovery. After she woke up however, it was an entirely different story.

She had woken at 7 (late for her), and taken a shower. At first, her thoughts turned to Booth and the 'moment', _was it a moment?_ - that they had shared at Wong Foo's. She knew what Angela would say, and the problem was, she had a feeling that her heart was beginning to agree with her. Unfortunately, her mind remained as stubborn as ever, and by the time the water began to get cold she was immersed in troubling thoughts about the case and the identity of the two additional bodies.

When she had finished getting dressed it was almost 8 'o-clock, and she found herself facing the prospect of two hours alone with her thoughts before Booth would arrive to pick her up. Feeling restless, she began neatening up her already nearly spotless apartment in an attempt to keep the questions running through her mind at bay. At 8:30 she took a step back and reluctantly came to the conclusion that there really wasn't anything left to do, and that she was starting to feel claustrophobic in her own apartment. In the next instant she was purposefully striding across the apartment towards her phone. Fifteen minutes later a honk signaled the arrival of the taxi, and Brennan was on her way to the lab.

Looking out the window at the passing scenery, she wondered if going to the lab was really the best idea. It was usually her cure for everything; get lost in work and everything would be fine. She wasn't sure it would be that easy this time, especially considering that the source of most of her anxiety was probably sitting on a couple of examination tables on the platform at that very moment.

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Brennan paid the cabby and headed in, waving to Tom, the morning security guard, on her way past. She walked quickly down the long corridor leading to the Medico-Legal Lab, her steps echoing loudly off the high ceiling. She tried to concentrate on the sound, pushing images of what she would find on the exam tables out of her mind. She kept telling herself that this was her job; she couldn't just sit around in her apartment and hide from the facts, however painful they may be. Her resolve deepened with every resounding step as the image of a scared 15 year-old girl who's parents had just gone missing solidified in her mind. She would do this for Serena.

She reached the sliding doors that lead to the Medico-Legal Lab and stepped through. As she approached the platform, voices drifted out of Angela's office and she stopped to listen.

"...supposed to pick up Bones at 10."

"What are you going to tell her?" Angela.

"I don't know..." An exhale of air followed. "I spoke to her brother; he's coming in to DC later on today."

"Booth, how is she? I haven't really been able to talk to her much since this whole thing started..." At this point Brennan stopped listening and slid her ID through the scanner, running up the steps to the platform two at a time. She vaguely noted that neither her assistant nor Hodgins were present before heading straight for the examination tables at the far end, snapping on a pair of gloves as she walked. If Booth had Russ coming here, that could only mean one thing - they had identified her parents. She stood before the remains, hesitant to touch, but unable to stop her mind from supplying what obvious visual information there was. Caucasian. Male and female. Between the ages of 40 and 45. Healed fracture on the female's right ulna, surgical pins adding a metal glint to the bone.

_"...how'd you get that one?" Temperance put a still slightly pudgy 6 year-old finger on her mother's wrist and traced the barely visible scar. "Oh, that one." Christine leaned closer conspiratorially. "That one I got because of a boy I liked." Temperance wrinkled her nose in response, causing her mother to laugh before continuing her story, leaning back now with a nostalgic expression lighting her face. "We argued all the time, but we were really the best of friends. We were both extremely competitive, and one day he dared me to climb the biggest tree on our street. He said I couldn't do it, so naturally I had to prove him wrong. Needless to say, I fell out of the tree and had to get surgery."_

_"Did you stay friends?" _

_Christine smiled. "Yes, we did. And do you know who that boy was?" _

_"Who?"_

_"Your dad."_

Brennan was pulled out of her reverie as Angela's voice called out from the direction of her office. "Booth! You'll look after her right?" She couldn't see her best friend's face, but could guess that she was smiling. Booth turned and continued, walking backwards as he replied. "You know it." He smiled and turned back around, but stopped abruptly as he passed the platform, the smile fading into a look of concern.

"Bones...What are you doing here?" He swiped his card and jogged up the steps, coming to a halt at Brennan's side. She didn't acknowledge his presence right away, and when she did it was only to list her observations. "Caucasian, approximately 40 to 45 years of age." She held her mother's skull in her hand, pointing to a spot on the back. "Severe trauma to the back of the skull and upper vertebrae, C-1 to C-3 - "

"Bones..."

"...indicating an execution style shot from behind."

Angela had come to a stop at the bottom of the stairs, watching the scene, her eyes tearing slightly in sympathy for her friend.

"Temperance..." Booth wrapped a hand gently around Brennan's upper arm, trying to draw her away from the table. She continued on as though she didn't notice, but it was becoming increasingly clear that her emotions were overwhelming her usually calm exterior. Her eyes were drawn to a bone on the right-hand table and she picked it up slowly. "This fracture here indicates a high impact fall, consistent with skiing or another high speed sport...My father broke his arm during our vacation in the Poconos when I was 12."

Booth tried again to turn her away, this time grasping her shoulder with his other hand and turning her toward him. "Let's go Temperance, come on." Brennan snapped out of it and met his eyes, shaking her head. "No Booth. I have to do this - for myself and for Serena."

"Bones, you don't need to do this part - no one should have to do this. It was thanks to you that they were finally found; let the rest of your team take it from here. You don't have to be the strong one all the time." At that, Brennan practically recoiled, pulling herself from his grasp, her eyes filling with fire and her face hardening.

"I don't? My parents left! My brother left! I was put in the foster system and I couldn't afford to be weak."

Booth's heart ached in response to the almost tangible pain radiating from her, but he could do nothing but look on as she continued.

"Since I was 15 I've had to take care of myself! My grandfather didn't even find me until I was almost 17, and eventually even he left." A stubborn tear traced its way down her cheek, but she brushed it away angrily. "I've worked hard to get where I am now, and I've seen and experienced some horrible things. And one thing I've learned is that eventually _everyone_ leaves whether they want to or not." More tears followed the course the first one had made, but she made no move to brush them away this time. "I _do_ have to be the strong one, because eventually everyone leaves. Who's going to be strong if I'm not?" It seemed her emotions had finally reached the breaking point. Tears were coursing down her cheeks and she allowed Booth to pull her to him. He rubbed her back lightly with one hand and stroked her hair with the other.

Angela looked on a moment longer, a tear of her own escaping as well. She felt like she was intruding, and slipped away to her office, but she couldn't help the small smile that graced her lips at the knowledge that her friend did indeed have someone to look after her.

Booth continued to rub circles on her back. In that moment he wanted to tell her that _he_ would always be there, that _he_ wouldn't leave her, but he knew that he couldn't promise her that, so he remained silent; hoping that in this case actions would speak louder than words. Soon her tears had slowed, and though her breath was still hitching occasionally, Booth was able to lead her away from the platform to her office.

Once standing in front of the couch, Booth held her in front of him as if inspecting her. She seemed calmer, though her eyes still glistened with tears. One of them made it's way down her cheek and Booth cupped face with his hand, wiping it away with his thumb in a mirror of his gesture the night before. As he had done then, he let his hand linger there for a moment. Both of them felt what seemed to be a shift in the air between them. "You wanna tell me why you couldn't wait for me to pick you up?" he asked gently, his eyes smiling softly at her.

Brennan sighed and puffed out her cheeks, blowing the air out as she plopped down on the couch. Booth sat down next to her as he awaited her reply.

"I don't know...I guess I just wanted to _do_ something. I figured if I came here I could just work and take my mind off of things." She laughed darkly at the irony, and Booth shifted beside her. "What do you wanna do?"

Brennan took a moment to consider. "Let's talk about the case." Booth looked at her doubtfully. "You sure?" Brennan nodded more confidently than she felt. "Yeah." Booth looked down, mentally shifting to the topic of the case. "Well, Furlong's been brought in for questioning; they're holding him down at the Bureau. I was going to go down and talk to him after I picked you up."

"I want to go with you," Brennan said resolutely.

"Bones, I really don't think-"

"I _want_ to Booth. If this man is responsible for the death of my parents and Serena's parents, not to mention everyone else he's responsible for killing - I want to look him in the eye." Booth regarded her silently for a moment before nodding. A moment passed before either of them spoke.

"Where did you find Russ?" Brennan asked quietly.

"You heard that huh? I found him working at an amusement park in North Carolina and convinced him to come to DC. He's supposed to give me a call when he gets into town." Brennan nodded, but her expression grew troubled again. Booth sat forward. "What are you thinking?"

Brennan sighed and shifted to face him better. "What if Russ doesn't want to see me? I made him think he wasn't enough family for me, and I've never made an effort to contact him..."

Booth shook his head. "Temperance, he's your brother, he loves you. Nothing you could do is gonna change that. When you see him today, just...talk to him. You know what? It's-" he glanced at his watch, "9:30. Why don't we get some coffee and then we'll head over to the Bureau?"

Brennan smiled gratefully. "That sounds good."

* * *

**Comments? Questions? Ideas?**

**Next up: The interrogation of Furlong, the arrival of Russ, and possibly some smoochies(which I know a lot of you have been waiting for). ; ) **

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